


Matchmaker

by chartreuseblueandyellow



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Murdoc is for sure a macriley shipper, you can fight me on this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:48:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28381950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chartreuseblueandyellow/pseuds/chartreuseblueandyellow
Summary: "You know Riley, I always thought that you and Macgyver would become a couple."Nowthatwas a surprise and she stopped, turning around to face Murdoc.
Relationships: Riley Davis/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Comments: 90
Kudos: 231





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I saw a few prompts on Murdoc being a macriley shipper and I HAD to write something for it!  
> Originally I was gonna make it like Murdoc gets the two of them together but that’s just not how cannon is going rn and so I feel this would be more in character.  
> Also, I was planning on writing a Mac, Riley and Murdoc fic, but as I was writing it, it turned into a mostly Riley and Murdoc one, and tbh, I’m not mad about it.  
> I enjoyed writing this, so let me know what you guys think!  
> Enjoy :)

They had been called into the war room with a mission about finding a lethal arms dealer, who apparently had knowledge of a powerful person in government who was, in a highly illegal move, selling off military grade weapons. The problem was that this arms dealer, Franco Capacci, had had plastic surgery and no one knew what he looked like now. 

Matty looked slightly apprehensive as she spoke, and Riley was worried because of it.  
“There is _one_ person who has actually seen Capacci after surgery and would be able to recognise him.”

Riley frowned, wasn’t that a good thing?

The door opened, and clutched firmly between the sturdy grip of two guards, stood Murdoc.

Oh no.

He was fitted in an orange jumpsuit, his hands and feet shackled, but seeming to be in a great mood (when was he not) he looked at them all with a grin after the guards left.  
"Reunited with the team at long last!"

_Ugh_. Murdoc had a way of getting on peoples nerves, even when he’d only said one sentence. 

No one replied, so Murdoc, who seemed to love the sound of his own voice, continued.  
"Matilda! Still looking as stunning and as terrifying as ever, Wilt, glad to see you again," and holding up his shackled hands, said, "hey, at least I can't knock you out with a gun this time."

Bozer frowned but said nothing and Murdoc's gaze locked onto hers.  
"Ms Davis, my favourite hacker, how are you?"  
Usually that was a compliment, but coming from him, she wasn't quite sure. He didn't wait for her answer though, and moved onto Mac.  
“Angus! You’re looking well, but I’m sorry to hear about your father and aunt, my sincere condolences.”

Surprise flashed across Mac’s face, but he quickly smothered it and spoke in a flat tone.  
“Thanks.”

Murdoc nodded, and shifting his gaze added, “you must be Russ,” and then stopping his eyes on Desi, he grinned and said, “I’ve heard so many interesting things about you Ms Desiree since the last time we met.”

Russ looked slightly put out that Murdoc had just glossed over him, but Desi was frowning.  
"What have you heard?"

A gleeful smile came over his face, one which made Riley slightly wary of what he was about to say.  
"I heard you captured the attention of our dear old Angus and then betrayed him," and shaking his head while grinning, he added, "aaaah, young love."

Well. She was definitely right to be wary. Desi did _not_ seem happy, and while Mac was frowning, she looked like she was ready to shut him up. Permanently.  
She took a step forward and Riley worried she might actually go through with it but thankfully, she only spoke in a slow, dangerous tone.  
"And where did you hear that?"

Murdoc's eyes widened in mock surprise.  
"The guards talk," and with his shackled hands, he lifted a finger to his mouth, saying, "but shhhh I never told you that. I don't want to get them in any trouble." 

Sick of his shenanigans, Matty spoke.  
"Can you identify Capacci, yes or no?" 

Murdoc grinned.  
"I can identify him for you and even tell you his probable location -" that sounded too good to be true, "- but on two conditions."  
_Aaaaah_. There it was.

Matty raised an eyebrow.  
"And what are they?"

Riley was wary. This was Murdoc, and there was absolutely no guarantee what he'd ask.  
“Firstly, Cassian’s birthday is coming up and I need someone to go out and buy the gift I have in mind to send it to him.”  
Okay, no too bad.  
He waited for Matty to agree, but when she only said, “and the other?” he grinned and continued.  
“Sure I’ve spent many years with Helman in the past, but being confined with him in the cell next to me is just _too much_ , especially when he sings his daily round of ridiculous country songs. I know you won’t move me, and as someone who enjoys handing out punishment, I understand that, but for the love of god make my cell soundproof so I don’t have to hear him.”

Riley fought to not control the surprise from showing on her face, and as Mac met her gaze, she could tell he was doing the same. Clearly the both of them had expected much more outrageous and unrealistic conditions from Murdoc. Riley’s guess was that he really was getting sick of being with Helman 24/7 but gave conditions in order not make things too simple.  
Matty nodded.  
“Fine. Now tell us what you know about Capacci.”

Smiling, Murdoc said, “Franco Capacci has a secure warehouse a few miles out of the city. He always has a few guards on site 24/7, and since he’s had surgery, he always patrols with them, acting as if he’s one of them rather than the leader because he knows that’ll make it much harder for people to recognise him.”  
Riley had to give it to him, that was a pretty smart move on Capacci’s part.

Matty nodded.  
“Okay. Murdoc I want you to describe Capacci’s new face to our artist and then the rest of us are going to -”

“Sorry, no can do Matilda.”  
Riley had to give him props for being on the receiving end of Matty’s ‘ _what did you just say?_ ’ stare but continuing speaking as if everything was normal.  
“I’ll have to come with you all of course.”

“That’s _another_ condition Murdoc, and you already have two which I’ve promised to fulfil.”

Murdoc grinned at Matty.  
“Oh no, this is not a condition, but necessary to identify Capacci. Faces can look so different if you’re not seeing them in person,” and when Matty continued to frown, he added, “you’ll find that, if I'm required to describe the face, I won't get the details correct, but if I see it I’ll know.”

Riley highly doubted that was true, but if he was threatening to do that, they wouldn't be able to believe that the sketch would be correct if he described it. Matty seemed to arrive at the same conclusion.  
“Fine. But any funny stuff, and Cassian gets video evidence of _exactly_ who his father is.”  
Murdoc’s brows furrowed as he stared at Matty, who didn’t so much as blink. Riley had to hold in a smile, Matty knew exactly what buttons to push to get what she wanted.

Murdoc nodded.  
“I believe we have a deal, I will stay on my best behaviour.”

Some time later, they were making their way over to the warehouse with Desi driving and Riley in the passenger seat, Mac graciously offering to sit in the back next to a now only handcuffed Murdoc. Bozer was in the war room with Matty, and Russ had gone to shake a few feathers in the departments they suspected the man was in. 

The drive started off quiet, with Murdoc trying to start conversations but after a while, sick of his voice, they started talking about Capacci and who the government mole could be.  
While driving, Desi said, “when we went out for lunch yesterday, Mac and I were thinking that it might be a Sergeant or a Major, it would make sense that someone in the military is selling off military weapons.”

Riley was about to agree when she was interrupted by Murdoc questioning Mac, the surprise clear in his voice.  
“You and her are still together even after she let you run into death by yourself?”

Desi, not taking her eyes off the road, said, "I'd like to remind everyone that I can shoot accurately while driving."  
Yikes. Riley knew Desi would not hesitate to go through with that. 

“It’s none of your concern.”

"But it is dear Angus, I have a vested interest in your well being. Besides, I always thought that…" 

Riley turned round, wondering why Murdoc, who was always so vocal, stopped himself from continuing.  
She had to make an effort not to flinch as his gaze locked onto hers.  
Riley didn't know why, but she just _knew_ in her gut that Murdoc knew about her feelings.

“Thought what?”

Mac’s voice snapped her out of it but Murdoc just shook his head, finally taking his eyes off of her.  
“Never mind.”

By not finishing his sentence, had he just shown… sympathy? For her?  
Usually it was a great thing for people to be sympathetic, but coming from Murdoc, it was just… weird. Riley didn’t know what to make of it and turned back to face the front. 

They arrived at the warehouse and crept towards it, Murdoc actually on his best behaviour and staying quiet as they entered through a hidden window, first Mac, then her, then Murdoc and Desi. Her job was not only to guard their backs, but keep an eye on Murdoc. 

In the empty room, Desi spoke up.  
"I dont think it's smart to chauffeur Murdoc everywhere, and we all know he'll be fine identifying Capacci from the screen, so I think him and Riley should find the computer room so she can download all the information at the same time and Mac and I can stay on the ground, taking out the guards and dealing with Capacci when Murdoc spots him." 

Riley wasn't too happy about being alone with Murdoc, but she had to admit, it was probably the best plan, so nodded.

"I don't like it."  
She turned to Mac and met his eyes. Ignoring Desi's reasoning about why it was a good plan, he silently looked at her, and like he could read her expressions, she could read his. He was worried about leaving her alone with Murdoc and she could tell he really didn't want to leave. 

And although she obviously would've preferred staying with Mac, she knew this was the best plan and gave him a reassuring smile, saying, "I can handle myself you know."

He softly smiled at her.  
"I have absolutely no doubt about that Riles," and his eyes narrowing as he turned to Murdoc, he added, "it's him I'm worried about."

Murdoc grinned as he held up his handcuffed hand.  
"I won't hurt your precious Riley, scouts honour." 

Desi rolled her eyes and peaked out the doorway to see if the coast was clear. Mac came closer to Riley and it seemed like he was reaching for her hand, but ended up holding her wrist with a gentle hand. With that same hand, she automatically ended up holding his wrist as well.  
"If he tries anything, knock him out."

She smiled.  
"Gladly."

"You guys know I can hear you right?"

Mac smirked, not moving his eyes away from hers as he replied.  
"I know."  
She grinned back, then squeezed his wrist, and after he squeezed hers and slid his hand out of hers, he caught up to Desi who had already started moving away.  
She turned around to Murdoc, and ignoring the interest in his eyes, said, "well, let's find this computer room."

He grinned.  
"Sure thing Ms Davis."

Murdoc was being surprisingly docile and happy to follow her lead as he directed her to the computer room. They got in without incident.  
"Okay, Murdoc and I are with the computers."

"Okay Riley. Set Murdoc up with the camera's and then start downloading the information."

Even though she couldn't see, Riley automatically nodded at Matty's command. She turned the camera feed on then secured the handcuffed Murdoc to the radiator next to it, so he could still see the monitors but she'd have peace of mind while she worked. To his credit he didn't complain, but silently raised an eyebrow, and when she didn't say anything, he'd only grinned. 

Riley set her laptop onto a separate desk, and connected her laptop to the hard drives.  
"Okay Matty. We're good to go, Murdoc hasn't seen Capacci yet, but I'll let everyone know when he does."  
Affirmatives came over comms and she watched files transfer from the harddrive to her laptop. 

"Capacci is here!"

Riley left her laptop running and went over to Murdoc, speaking into comms as she did.  
"Murdoc spotted Capacci!" and ignoring the exclamations, she added, "he's by the main, North facing entrance, brown hair and eyes, around five foot ten."

Mac and Desi confirmed that they heard and started moving towards him.

On the screen, Capacci suddenly seemed to look around, freeze, then fiddle with something on his phone and suddenly, what sounded like gears turning filled the room, and Riley spoke into the comms.  
“Um Mac? Capacci knows something is up and something is happening in this room."

“Riles, what's -”  
His voice suddenly cut off as the door simultaneously shut and she could hear a few locks clicking into place. The camera feeds turned off but, thankfully, the monitors where she was transferring files from stayed on.

“Uh oh. This doesn't seem good.”  
She glared at Murdoc, _no shit_ it wasn’t good, but she went to the door anyway and confirmed that they were indeed locked.  
She had noticed the doorway as she walked in and so knew that, rather than being a physical lock, it was an electronic lock, which meant she could hack it. But with the complexity of this place, she knew it’d take time.  
She went back to her laptop which was on the desk in front of the monitors and started hacking the locks. Her back was turned to Murdoc, but since he was handcuffed to the radiator, and because her gut feeling weirdly told her he wouldn't actually hurt her, she was fine with it. 

There were three separate locks to hack, so she started on the first one.  
After a few minutes of quiet, the silence was broken by, "so Angus and Ms Desiree huh?"

"Mhmm."  
Riley was instantly reminded about what happened in the car but she refused to elaborate on anything, and after a few lines of code, the first lock was done and she started on the second. 

"You know Riley, I always thought that you and Macgyver would become a couple."

Now _that_ was a surprise and she stopped, turning around to face Murdoc. She had suspected he was going to point out her one sided feelings, so she _definitely_ hadn't expected that.  
"What?"

He nodded.  
"There's something about the two of you when you're together. Angus seems calmer around you."  
Chuckling, he added, "I'm not one to be surprised easily, but I was surprised when I heard that, even after you followed Angus to the ' _dark side_ ' -" he grinned, "- it would've been much more _fun_ if I were there as well, but that's not the point right now. I was saying, I was surprised that even after you followed him into sure death when Desiree thought him a traitor, he still got back together with her."

She didn’t want to talk about it, hell, she didn’t want to think about it. She wasn’t jealous of Desi, but she had to admit that thinking about what Murdoc had pointed out, hurt.  
Not replying to what he said, she instead asked, “how do you know all this? Haven’t you been locked up all this time?” and when he started raising a finger to his lips she sighed.  
“Let me guess, the guards?”

He grinned widely at her and she turned back to her laptop, but only got a moment of peace and quiet before he spoke up again.  
“One pair of guards were saying that while Desiree is a good agent, they don’t particularly like her, and they can’t believe Angus is still with her even after she was going to let a _missile_ drop on you both!”  
And when she didn’t reply, he emphasised it more.  
“ _An actual missile!_ She would’ve been okay with both you and Macgyver dying! Why didn’t anyone mention this to me, it’s a pertinent detail!”

Riley rolled her eyes, speaking as she continued to type out code.  
“What reason would we have to tell you?”

“Because, Ms Davis, listening to the guards gossiping is possibly one of the few things keeping me sane,” Riley scoffed, had he _ever_ been sane in the first place? But ignoring that, he continued. “And I find that I’ve become quite invested in this little love triangle that you’ve found yourself in. If it’s any consolation to you, I, like the guards, feel that you’d make a _much_ better couple with Macgyver than Desi currently does.”

The second lock was done, but Riley said nothing.  
_What was even happening?_  
She resisted the urge to sigh again, but gave him no indication she’d heard. It’d be an awkward conversation for sure, but she’d really have to talk to these gossiping guards. 

Unfortunately she couldn’t get her mind off of it because Murdoc kept musing about hers and Mac’s relationship.  
“I'm sure, because of all the trauma he’s faced in his life, Macgyver is simply clinging to the relationship because, though it may not be healthy, it is a constant.”  
She was glad her back was facing him because her eyes widened. While he was a psychopath, he clearly understood human nature because that’s _exactly_ what Bozer had theorised about him and Desi.

He continued.  
“I also feel, from interactions I have seen with you both, that he may actually have some _more-than-friendly_ feelings for you, but his mind does not let him actually feel them. The most logical reasoning is that you are too important to him and he cannot risk ruining your relationship.”

Riley’s typing slowed down.  
_What. Was. Happening?_  
Seriously. This situation, talking about her feelings for Mac and a possible relationship with him, with _Murdoc_ of all people was just out of this world strange.  
Before she wasn’t replying because she didn’t want to encourage him but now she wasn’t replying because she _genuinely_ had absolutely no idea what to say. 

Not fazed at all by her silence, Murdoc continued, almost as if talking to himself.  
“What we need to do is make these feelings of Macgyver rise from his subconscious and into his conscious mind. How can we do that…?"

Riley refused to take part in this absolutely ridiculous conversation. It didn't matter anyway, Murdoc was doing just fine talking with no input from her. 

"Hmmmm… well let's start with the obvious solution," she wondered what _that_ would be, "we'll tie him up and torture it out of him."  
She turned around and stared him down, nothing needing to be said.  
He sighed.  
"Yes yes, I can see how you won't like that, he _is_ your beloved after all." 

She rolled her eyes and turned back, trying to hack the system even faster to get her out of this ridiculous situation. He however, was clearly having a great time.  
"Oooh, I know I know! Maybe I'll kidnap both you and Desiree with threats of torture, and make Angus choose who to save!"

Riley rolled her eyes at the glee in his voice and kept typing as she replied.  
"That's just ridiculous. And besides, I can save myself just fine thanks."

A chuckle sounded from behind her.  
"And _that's_ one of the many reasons I think you and our dear Macgyver will make an excellent couple!" 

Riley didn't reply, never believing that she'd ever be having a conversation about her love life with a _psychopathic assassin_.

"Anyway, what else what else? A non-violent solution. Oooh! Maybe I can lock you and Angus into my newly soundproofed cell and the both of you can talk it out. I'm not looking forward to sharing a cell with Helman for that amount of time, but for you and for Angus, I'll do it."

Riley didn't say anything again but she had to admit, in his own way, that was actually kind of nice of Murdoc to offer.

At her silence though, he said, "you do like him, right Riley? I don't want all my genius plans going to waste."

She refused to answer and heard him chuckle.  
"Okay, that's enough of an answer."

She was glad she didn't have to say anything but, of course, Murdoc wasn't done.  
"So is this just a passing fancy, a crush, a liking, or is my favourite hacker in love?"

Trying to put a stop to this, Riley said, "I'm definitely not talking with you about this."

"Okay. So definitely one of the latter two categories. How long has this been going on? Have there been any moments where you think he feels the same? Have you acted on your feelings at all? Has he?"

_AAAAAAARRGGGH_ he was _infuriating!_  
"Fine! I will admit to having some feelings but I refuse to have them because Mac and Desi are trying to make things work again and I refuse to get in the middle of that."  
Murdoc didn’t didn't reply, but she didn’t want to see what was presumably pity in his eyes so kept typing.

After a few seconds, Murdoc finally broke the silence.  
"Angus Macgyver… is an idiot."

_That_ caused her to stop and turn to him and he only grinned at her surprise.  
“I admit to being intrigued by the young genius, and he may even be one of the few humans I like, but if Angus cannot see that the person who would be the best life partner is standing right next to him, then he _is_ an idiot, and doesn't deserve you."

Riley stood with her mouth agape. She had _no idea_ how to react to these heartfelt words, especially since they were coming from a known psychopathic killer.  
“Um thanks… I guess.”  
He grinned at her, as if saying ‘anytime' and she quickly turned back to her laptop.

Thankfully, after a few more lines of code, the last lock was done and the relieving _click_ of the door opening sounded. Matty's voice came through again in her comms, asking what the status update was with finding her.  
"I'm fine Matty."

"Riles! Are you sure you're okay? Murdoc hasn't done anything?"

"Yeah I'm okay Mac and no, Murdoc's being… surprisingly well behaved."

Murdoc smiled, but she suspected it was more so at Mac's worry about her then his good behaviour. 

"What happened?"

Riley answered Matty.  
"Me and Murdoc got locked into the room and it took me a while to hack through the multiple layers of encryption to make our way out," and directing her question to Mac and Desi added, “did you guys find Capacci?”

Desi’s voice sounded through the comms.  
“No he got away but he’s still in the building. Do you still have eyes on him?”

Riley looked at the still blank screens then said, “nope, they cut the cameras.”

Mac then spoke up.  
“Okay. Desi and I are in the factory space, next to the room we broke into, be careful as you make your way to us.”

“Will do.”  
She nodded at Murdoc and he silently followed her as they slowly and carefully made their way to the factory space. 

They arrived with no incident and as they crept into the room, Mac and Desi instantly went on guard, the latter raising her gun, but seeing who it was, Mac smiled and rushed up, putting a hand on her forearm.  
“Didn’t have to knock him out?”

Smiling, she replied, “nah, he was surprisingly well behaved.”

“Lovely seeing you as well, Angus.”

Mac sighed and looked at her with a roll of his eyes, and she grinned.  
Riley was able to hack the cameras outside the room they were in and saw all the guards about to charge in. They handcuffed Murdoc to a sturdy column, even after his insistence that he could be helpful in a fight, because they really didn’t trust him.  
The men charged in and Riley instantly started fighting against the man who came near her. She hit the gun out of his hand, ducked out of the way of his punch, landed one of her own on his stomach, and stepping back to get out of the way of another punch and grab a heavy iron bar, hit him hard on the side of his head and he fell to the ground. 

Riley saw a guard coming up from behind Murdoc with a gun aimed at him, and because he had no use of his hands, Riley charged to the guard and knocked him out with the same iron bar. As the guard fell to the floor unconscious, Murdoc looked at her with genuine surprise but a grin soon replaced it.  
“Why thank you Ms Davis.”

She shrugged and, because Desi was holding her own against two guards, she went to help Mac with the two he was against. Some alarm must've been sounded because more guards, more than there originally were, started running in.  
A few shots went off and suddenly a yell sounded out from behind them. A rouge shot must’ve hit Franco in the abdomen and though it looked really serious, Riley felt that if they got him help soon, he should be able to survive.  
She helped Mac with one of the guys and immediately fought another, and only after that, she had a few seconds pause and saw Murdoc kneeling by Franco, the later whispering to the former.  
_When did Murdoc get loose?_  
She didn't have time to think about it though because a new guard came charging towards her with a knife, and all her effort went to fighting him.

And then it happened so fast that no one, including her, could do anything about it.  
Murdoc grabbed the knife from Franco’s thigh holster and stabbed him with it.  
For a moment she was so stunned that she almost forgot about the guy she was fighting, but after knocking him out, Murdoc’s actions reminded Riley about who he really was.  
Desi knocked out the last remaining guard and strided over, reaching Murdoc at the same time as her and Mac, and looked at him with fury in her eyes.  
“Why the hell did you kill him?”

A lifeless Capacci at his feet, Murdoc simply shrugged.  
"He once insulted my wife and stabbed her, and while she recovered perfectly fine, and though we don't get along, she's still Cassian's mother and I value that."  
Riley shook her head, clearly Murdoc was shaping up to be a true romantic at heart.  
"And anyway, Capacci has seen that I'm helping the good guys, and my reputation can't take that."

Mac scoffed.  
"You're in _prison_."

Murdoc just shrugged, not seeing too bothered.  
"People don’t hear about me in a while, they assume I’m laying low or that I’m dead, but helping the law?” Murdoc shook his head, “there’s no coming back from that.”

Not interested at all with Murdoc’s musings, Desi stared him down.  
“You wanna tell us what Capacci told you right before you _stabbed_ him?”  
He stared silently at her and Desi moved a bit closer, saying, “if you don’t want to tell me now, I’m more than happy to force it out of you.”

Not seeming even the slightest bit intimidated, Murdoc only grinned in response.  
“I’d love to see you try.”

Mac sighed and calmed the situation down, convincing everyone to just go back to the Phoenix for now and sort it out there.  
When they were back in the war room, Matty stared at Murdoc.  
"Tell us."

He let out a dramatic sigh.  
“Fine. But on one condition.”

“You’re in no place to make demands.”  
Murdoc only grinned at Desi’s statement and Riley held in the urge to sigh. Surely Desi saw that Murdoc was getting a kick out of irritating her?

“What’s the condition?”

Murdoc turned back, grinning at Matty.  
“Always ready to do what you need, to get what you want. That’s what I admire about you Matilda.”  
She stared back, unimpressed, with an eyebrow raised, and he nodded.  
“I’ll only tell Ms Davis.”

_What?_

She froze in confusion and felt everyone’s eyes turn to her, but she only stared at Murdoc.  
“Why?”

He shook his head with a grin, refusing to divulge his reasoning, and she felt Mac step forward to her side. Murdoc’s grin grew slightly larger and Riley held in the urge to sigh. She could tell he was enjoying this.  
From next to her, Mac said, “she’s going to end up telling us, so may as well save us all the time and effort.”

Murdoc just shook his head, refusing to budge.  
“ _She_ may tell you all later, but _I_ will only tell _her_.” 

Riley knew that if he didn’t want to talk, he wouldn’t, so she sighed.  
“Fine.”

Mac took a break from glaring at Murdoc and, facing her, spoke quietly.  
“You don’t have to do this Riles.”

Before she could reply, Murdoc butted in, saying, “what, after all this time, you don’t trust me?”

Mac turned and glared at him again, his voice slightly harsh.  
“I really don’t.”

Holding his handcuffed hands against his chest, Murdoc replied, “that hurts Angus, it really does.”  
But his grinning face gave away that he was, in fact, really enjoying the situation he had caused. 

Mac turned back to her.  
"I’ll stay with you."

She shook her head.  
"I’ll be fine."

And from in front of them, in a slightly serious tone, Murdoc added, "you’ve lost your privileges, Macgyver."  
Mac looked confused but Riley just sighed. She knew exactly what this was about and didn't know whether to be honoured or annoyed by the respect Murdoc seemed to have for her.

Matty seemed intrigued, apparently sensing there were hidden undercurrents, but she hid it well as she said, "well, as long as Riley is fine with it," Riley nodded, "I'm fine with it. Let's give them the room."

Desi, Russ, Matty and a reluctant Mac started walking out and Murdoc added, "and please activate the privacy settings behind you."  
Matty touched the glass on her way out, turning the windows opaque, and Mac, the last one to leave, gave her one final look before hesitantly shutting the door behind him.

She turned to Murdoc, wanting to get straight onto it.  
"Well. Spill."

Ignoring her demand, he gave her a gleeful grin.  
"Did you see how Angus reacted at the thought of you being left alone with me, a known killer?"

She raised an eyebrow but said nothing, not wanting to encourage him further.  
He chuckled.  
"Maybe he does like you after all Ms Davis."

She _had_ actually noticed Mac's behavior but didn't want to talk to Murdoc about it, so all she said was, "it's just me now, what you wanted, so tell me what Franco told you."

Murdoc sighed.  
"You're no fun," but he then launched into what had happened, not referring to Mac again.  
She had to begrudgingly admit to herself that she didn't hate this man nearly as much as she wanted to. She would never tell him that though.

When he was done, five or so minutes later, Riley touched the glass and, seeing that it was transparent again, a worried looking Mac all but ran in. His eyes immediately sought out hers, checking if she was okay. She gave him a small smile and he immediately relaxed, needing no words, he could read her well enough to know that she was genuinely okay.  
Next to her, Murdoc leaned down to whisper in her ear.  
“Well _that_ was a very couple-ey exchange you and Macgyver just shared!”

Riley shook her head, still not quite believing that this deadly assassin was so invested in her love life that he was trying to play matchmaker with her and Mac.  
What had the world come to?  
Mac however, clearly didn’t feel as amused by Murdoc’s whisperings as her because his eyes narrowed onto Murdoc.  
He came and stood close to her as everyone else piled in. 

Riley told them all what Murdoc had said, that the mole was a Sergeant Major named James Greyson and relayed all the information about where he was getting the weapons from, his location of where he sold them, and where he kept his stash.  
Matty noted down the information as she talked and everyone focused on her as she relayed the information. Murdoc stood quietly to the side.  
Riley finished up, and after writing the last thing on the tablet, Matty smiled at her, then her eyes narrowed as her gaze locked onto Murdoc.  
“And now, let’s talk about what video we’re going to send to Cassian.”

Murdoc’s eyes widened.  
“You got what you wanted, so technically the mission was a success was it not?”

Matty stared him down.  
“You _stabbed_ him and he _died_. You were meant to be a bystander in this mission!”

“Sure I killed him but -” listing points on his handcuffed hand, he said, “- a terrible killer is now off the scene, he can't smuggle weapons and most of all, Ms Davis has gotten all the information about his dealings off of his servers. Surely that's enough?”

Matty turned to look at her, and Riley could tell she was seeing what her opinion was on the matter. Riley just shrugged because he _had_ made good points, and honestly she agreed with him, but it was up to Matty who, after a moment, sighed and turned back to Murdoc.  
“Because I can’t help but agree with your points, I won’t send the video,” Murdoc grinned, “but at the slightest incident in the future, the video _will_ be sent to your son.”

Murdoc nodded.  
“Heard and understood.”

A message caused her to look down at her tablet and she looked back up at Murdoc.  
“Your cell is now officially soundproofed.”

“Sound-proofed is it?” and gaze turning to her, he added with a smile, “a perfect place then, to have a private conversation?”  
Everyone seemed confused at his obscure statement but Riley shook her head, trying not to smile. She really didn’t want to like him after everything he had done but, after today, it was kind of hard not to.  
His grin only gew and she could tell he caught her reaction and was pleased with himself.

Russ spoke, and as she turned to face him, she saw Mac staring at her with confusion, apparently he had caught the quick interaction with her and Murdoc. Riley avoided his gaze, which was trying to lock onto hers, and concentrated on Russ instead.  
“There’ll be no one there Murdoc, the only person you’ll be able to talk to is yourself.”  
Murdoc just grinned, and Riley supposed that it was because the one person his message was for, her, had heard it and so he didn’t care what everyone else thought.  
Though his insistence to get her and Mac together was actually kind of… cute?... she definitely was _not_ going to take him up on his offer. 

The door opened to reveal the guards who had originally brought him in, Riley wondered if these were the two gossips, and they started walking Murdoc out. Just before he left the room, he turned and grinned at them all.  
“We should do this again sometime soon, I had a blast! It was lovely seeing familiar faces and the new ones, and my dear Ms Davis,” _oh no_ , what was he going to say? “Remember, I’m happy to act on any of the plans, whenever you're ready.”  
She rolled her eyes, and smiling, he left. 

Everyone turned to look at her but she turned to face Matty, because 1. she was the boss and Riley knew she’d have to answer her question first and 2. she could feel Mac’s gaze drilling into her, and with his ability to read what was in her mind from her expressions alone, she wasn’t ready to face him. 

Matty raised an eyebrow.  
“What was that about?”

She took a moment to take a breath, using the few seconds to come up with what to say because _no way_ was she going to tell the actual story. She could tell Matty realised the action for what it was though.  
“It’s not related to the case. Murdoc’s just… teasing me about something. If you haven't realised, he likes getting on peoples nerves.”

Still feeling Mac’s eyes on her, she kept hers on Matty, who narrowed her eyes slightly.  
“I’m trusting that you’ll tell me anything that’s important, pertinent to the case or not.”

Riley looked Matty in the eye, letting her body language show that her words were true.  
“I’ll tell you anything that's important, even if it gets me in trouble, but what Murdoc’s talking about isn't. 

Matty studied her then nodded, but whatever she was about to say was cut off by Russ.  
“I insist that Riley say what Murdoc meant by his statement.”

Riley saw Mac’s eyes narrow, and she was about to say something in response but Matty got there first.  
“Unlike you, I have known Riley for quite some time now and I trust her without question, so if she says it's not important, it’s not important.”  
Russ opened his mouth to argue again but Matty added, “and unless you want me to stop being so accommodating to you and your outlandish and slightly insane plans and theories, you’ll agree with me.”

Riley had never loved Matty, who was honestly a mother figure, more. She was batting for her and clearly had complete faith and trust in her.  
Russ mumbled, “if this is you being agreeable, I don’t think I’d like to get on your bad side.”

Matty smiled.  
“Good,” and looking at them all, added, “why don’t you guys head off and enjoy the rest of the day.”  
Riley smiled at Matty who nodded back, and then grabbing her laptop, walked out, only to hear Mac’s footsteps walking fast to catch up with her.  
He fell into step next to her and when she didn’t say anything, she knew what he was going to ask and she definitely wasn't going to tell him the truth, he spoke up.

“You _know_ that I, like Matty, believe you 100% that whatever Murdoc was talking wasn’t important and you’d tell us if it was, but I have to admit, I _am_ curious about what he said and why, after it, you didn’t face me because you knew I’d be able to tell that something was up.”  
Yikes, he wasn’t holding back was he?  
She sighed. Her feelings for him aside, he _was_ one of her best friends and she knew that if the roles were reversed, she’d definitely be pestering him about what Murdoc meant. She just needed him to trust her on this one.

Stopping, she turned to face Mac as he looked intently at her.  
“I get that you want to know, hell, I’d be doing the same if the roles were reversed,” she paused, thinking about her next words, but just decided to tell some of the truth.  
“To anyone else I might lie about it, but I would ever lie to you, so just trust me when I say that it’s nothing important and nothing bad.”

His gaze was unwavering on her, and after a moment’s pause he asked, “will you tell me at some point?”

She shrugged.  
“Maybe, I don’t know.”

He studied her for a bit, then nodded, saying, “I promise I won’t bring it up until you do.”  
She smiled as relief swept through her. Mac really was the best.  
The tension seemed to ease out of him and he now looked at her with a grin.  
“We have the rest of the day off. Pizza and skee ball?”

She couldn't help but grin back.  
“You know I’m always ready to beat your ass in a game.”

He scoffed as they continued walking.  
“Don’t get too cocky, besides, I’m feeling lucky this time.”

She laughed as they walked out of the building, into the sun.  
“That’s what you said last time, and I ended up absolutely destroying your score.”

“Don’t be so quick to trash, who knows, things you never expected to happen could happen.”

Riley laughed as they climbed into his car.  
Today had definitely been one of those days.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys SO MUCH for all the love you showed on the last chapter. I was only planning on having that one chapter but you guys inspired me and here’s chapter 2!  
> Here’s the thing. I know that this is completely unrealistic, but that’s what fanfics are for right?  
> Also, please accept my apologies. The last chapter was pretty long and I tried to make this one shorter but it is, in fact, LONGER than chap 1, so sorry about that!  
> Let me know what you guys think, hope you all enjoy!

It had been three months since the Franco Capacci mission, and a few things had changed since then. 

Firstly, he and Desi broke up. Though they had both agreed to give things another try, after a few dates and a few missions, it just really wasn't working out and they decided to officially end things, for good this time. Mac had to admit to himself that it was slightly scary, and also slightly strange to break up a relationship mutually rather than having the circumstances of his life do it, but he and Desi agreed it was time. Things were slightly awkward between them at work, how could it not be, but they both stayed polite to each other while figuring out the new rhythm of things.

Another thing that had changed, albeit slightly, was his relationship with Riley. To anyone else it probably seemed the exact same, and, to be fair, they were as steadfast as they had ever been and still made sure to spend time with each other out of work, spending the time having fun and relaxing. And even though Mac couldn’t pinpoint why the feeling of their relationship had shifted, or what it was, he knew that it wasn't bad, and actually somehow seemed better, so he didn't worry too much about it. 

Riley still hadn't brought up what had happened with Murdoc and why, at the end of the mission, she'd almost seemed like she was… friends?... with him, but even though he was curious, he hadn't brought it up like he'd promised. 

The one thing that, unfortunately, hadn't changed was that they still hadn't found Andrews, and that was why they were all in the war room right now. Though they couldn’t hone in on his location, they had seen the bodies he’d left in his wake, but the interesting thing was that all the people Andrews had killed were either members of Codex or associated with the group, leaving doubt in their mind if he _had_ actually fully turned back into General Ma or not. 

“Through a lot of digging, there is one person, an arms dealer by the name of Ivan Fern, who would have a good idea about Andrews' whereabouts, and though there’s no way we could make Fern talk to us, there is a different person he’d talk to with no hesitations.”  
Matty was speaking, and though she was saying promising things, she looked resigned to what was about to happen, leaving Mac confused. 

The door opened and it felt like déjà vu.  
There, like last time, in the firm grip of two guards, stood a beaming Murdoc.  
Not _this_ again.  
“I’m absolutely _delighted_ to see you all again, and so soon after last time!”  
Mac shook his head, not quite sure he was ready to deal with the absolute glee that Murdoc seemed to have, and the doors closed as the guards left the room. Was it just his imagination, or had they looked at him and Riley, snapping their eyes away when she returned their look.  
She was now keeping her gaze steadfast on Murdoc, almost as if she was making an effort not to look at him next to her.  
Interesting. 

Clearly not wanting a rerun of what had happened last time, Matty spoke in hopes to stop Murdoc’s personalized greetings.  
“Any conditions this time round?”

After considering it, he spoke with a grin.  
“I had such a fun time with you all last time that I don’t have any, though I’m touched that you asked Matilda.”

Mac glanced at Riley at his side and saw that she was just as surprised as he was.  
Matty, ever the professional, quickly hid her surprise and said, “well, that’s good to hear.”  
At her approval, he grinned at everyone in the room, almost acting like a proud puppy, and Mac noticed that, after looking at him, Murdoc’s smile lingered on Riley. There seemed to be some kind of message behind it because Riley rolled her eyes.  
What was happening?

Matty spoke, taking his attention away from Riley.  
“We understand that Ivan Fern will only talk to you face to face but you can’t go in alone. Desi will come with you as your apprentice.”  
Mac supposed that made sense. Given what an apprenticeship with Murdoc would entail, Desi’s skills were probably best suited for it. 

Murdoc looked like he was considering it, and after a pause said, “I think it’s believable for me to take an apprentice, after all, who will carry on my good work when I’m gone? Maybe I _should_ actually have an apprentice -” Mac shook his head at Murdoc’s musings, “- but I’m afraid I can’t work with Ms Desiree.”  
And as Matty went to speak and Desi narrowed her eyes, Murdoc quickly continued, speaking to Desi.  
“Please don’t take it personally, it’s just that I haven’t known you for as long as I have the original team, and so I’d prefer to have…” Mac sighed, knowing Murdoc was probably going to choose him, especially given that Mac had already played him in the past.  
“I’d prefer to have Ms Davis as my apprentice.”

 _What?_

Everyone looked surprised, but Mac curiously noted that Riley didn’t seem as surprised as the rest of them, almost as she’d expected it.  
Which raised the question… what exactly had happened during their last mission with Murdoc?  
He felt Riley sigh next to him and he knew what she was going to say.  
“Fine.”  
She turned to face him, reassuring him she’d be fine with her expressions alone before he could even voice his thoughts, and he couldn’t help but smile. 

“Okay, if you’re sure you’re fine with it,” Riley nodded at Matty, “then I’m good with it,” and looking at Murdoc as well, added, “make sure you two get your story straight.”  
They both nodded. 

In the labs, Mac gathered the equipment. Like many undercover missions before, they could listen in on Riley with mics but it was only one way.  
She and Murdoc were in the corner discussing their cover story and, giving in to the urge of being closer to her, he walked over with the excuse of micing her up. They were talking about the specifics of how they met but paused as he came over.  
Holding up the equipment, he said, “carry on, I’m just here to mic Riley up.”  
They nodded and Riley moved closer to him as they continued while he attached a mic under her sleeve, one hidden in her belt and one under her collar. 

For the last one, she faced him, standing close, and as Mac was fixing that one, Murdoc changed the topic with a smile in his voice.  
“I was quite disappointed that you didn’t visit my cell after the last mission Riley, I was expecting a further discussion of our _plans_.”  
Mac had absolutely no idea what Murdoc was referring to, and the eye roll Riley had in response only increased his confusion. Murdoc continued, the teasing glee unmistakable in his voice.  
“Though maybe it was because you no longer needed my plans…?”  
Finally done with the mic, Mac smoothed her collar down, and after smiling at him, she fixed Murdoc with a stare. He only laughed in response.  
Mac knew he was thinking this a lot, but seriously, what the hell had happened last time?

His ponderings were pushed away as they made their way to Fern, and as Riley followed Murdoc out of the surveillance van the rest of them would be staying in, he could tell she was slightly nervous so lightly touched her arm.  
“You got this.”  
She beamed back at him and as she stepped out, Mac’s gaze locked onto Murdoc’s. Why was the other man grinning at him? Shaking it off as he closed the door shut, he settled into his chair, ready to listen to what was going to happen next. 

Thankfully, and slightly surprisingly, it all went smoothly, Fern clearly trusting that Murdoc would never work for anyone other than himself. And even when he seemed slightly skeptical about the apprentice being a female, Murdoc had only laughed and made something up about Riley being deadly with a pair of knives.  
The pair emerged from the building around half an hour later, and as soon as they got into the van, they set off back to Phoenix. 

With occasional inputs from Murdoc, Riley relayed the entire meeting with them all and, instead of going themselves, Matty dispatched SWAT to go and get Andrews.  
While they waited, Mac helped Riley take off the mics. Curiosity getting the better of him, while taking the mic off of her collar he asked, “what’s up with you and Murdoc?”

Riley shook her head, seeming confused herself.  
“I think he just… likes me.”  
Mac blinked in surprise, he hadn’t expected that, and giving him a disbelieving smile, she continued.  
“Murdoc doesn’t like people in general but, for some reason, he’s deemed me interesting.”

That actually made sense, Murdoc felt similarly about him, and obviously Riley was beyond amazing, but it came back to what had happened on the last mission to make Murdoc now include Riley in his ‘friends’ list as well. But he had promised not to bring it up, so grinning, all he said was, “I never thought I’d say this, but in that regard, Murdoc has good judgment.”  
She grinned at him. 

They waited in the war room with baited breath as they listened in on the team's mics. After some action, gunfire and some yelling, the commander said, “we’ve got Andrews.”  
Cheers went up from everyone around the room and they waited around 10 more minutes before two guards brought a handcuffed Andrews into the war room. As soon as he saw them all, he burst into complaints.  
“I know I escaped from you last time but I need to stop Leland’s plans for Codex before he can rebuild!”  
Even when they tried to explain that they had the specter, stopping any rebuilding efforts, he insisted, “but you guys don’t know Leland like I do! He can build empires from absolutely nothing and so I need to get to all of his pawns in the plans he undoubtedly has before he uses them.”

Andrews frantically looked around the room, trying to get them to agree with him, but he froze when he saw the handcuffed Murdoc silently sitting in the corner.  
“Murdoc?! They got you too?”

He shrugged in reply.  
“Alas, it seems that they have. Though I _hate_ to pay them a compliment, this Phoenix team does seem to be highly superior to regular law enforcement who have never been able to capture me, whereas this team has caught me a few times.”  
Mac held in his surprise, that was actually a big compliment coming from Murdoc, but shrugging again, he continued.  
“Maybe I’m just getting too old for this, but if I'm old,” he looked at Andrews with a grin, “you should’ve been buried for a decade at this point Eric.”

Andrews scowled, clearly not liking being called old, being called by his first name, or the glee in Murdoc’s voice as he said it all.  
Riley nudged his shoulder, whispering, “this is going to be interesting.”  
Mac scoffed, that was probably the nice way of saying it, but turned to give Matty his attention as she started speaking. 

“So I take it that you both know each other?”

Andrews opened his mouth to speak but Murdoc got there first.  
“Do we ever! Obviously you goody-two-shoes may not be aware, but the psychopathic killer community is just like a small town. Most of us have all met, but at the very least, we all know of each other. You know what they say about small towns, you all know each other so well that you can let your neighbour know that they're hungry before they even know themselves.”  
Mac felt Riley holding in laughter next to him and he was doing the same. Murdoc had a unique way of looking at things.

“So do you two know of each other or have you actually met?”

Murdoc butted in once again to answer Matty’s question and Mac saw Andrews scowl again.  
“Met? Matilda, not only have Eric and I met, but we’ve worked together on a few occasions,” and looking at them all with a shrug added, “it’s the whole small town thing all over again. Sooner or later you’ll be doing business with all the residents. Though there is one incident in Tuscany I always get blamed for, which I actually _didn’t_ do, but have long suspected my old pal _Eric_ had something to do with it.”

Andrews smiled, clearly enjoying having something over, Murdoc, but Matty narrowed her eyes at the latter.  
“You’re telling me that you’re not responsible for the massacre of the Polish royal family, but that Andrews is?”

Mac held in his shock. They had always thought that Murdoc was responsible for the horrific, bloody scene that day, but if it was actually Andrews, Murdoc looked slightly better in Mac’s eyes and Andrews much worse.  
Matty shook her head.  
“Okay. That’s a lot to unpack, and we _will_ do that later, but for now,” she switched her gaze onto Andrews, “let’s talk about what you’ve been doing.”

Happy not to talk about what might or might not have happened in Tuscany, Andrews happily explained how he’d been tracking down people from Leland’s team, getting information about the plans, killing them, and continuing that on repeat.  
He added, “the last person I, uh, _talked_ to -” Mac had no doubt that torture was involved, “- informed me of a large hidden warehouse where Leland has already started rebuilding with many members joining the cause.”

Now _that_ was alarming news. Looking around the room, Mac saw he wasn’t the only one shocked and worried about it.  
Matty immediately burst into strategizing mode.  
“Okay, we're going to work out the best plan to infiltrate and -”

“No.”  
Everyone turned to Andrews.  
“We have to go _now_. It’s where I was headed before your men took me. With his minions getting killed left and right, Leland will probably relocate soon and then we’ll have no idea where his base of operations is.”

Mac, Riley and Desi looked at Matty and could tell she was considering it. It _was_ a good point that Andrews had made. Finally, she said, “Fine. I assume I can't force you to stand down on this one?”

Viciously shaking his head, Andrews replied, “only I have the location, and I’m not telling anyone. You’ll have to follow me.”

Matty let out a long suffering sigh and Mac had to give her credit for dealing with now two annoying and insistent killers without losing control.  
“Fine. You and the team will -” 

“Matilda! _Surely_ you’re not planning on leaving me behind? Infiltrating a warehouse full of slightly crazy killers seems like a party and I’m a partying guy!”  
If Matty were armed right now, Mac had a feeling she’d shoot Murdoc in the leg to give him a real reason he couldn’t tag along.  
Apparently sensing her frustration, he backtracked slightly and added, “I can behave perfectly, just ask Ms Davis.”

Why did Murdoc sound like a child asking his parents permission to go on a trip? Sighing, Matty turned to Riley to gage her reaction and he did the same.  
She sighed.  
“Well, last time, he _did_ actually behave.”

Mac couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, “obviously other than when he _murdered_ Capacci.”  
Next to him Riley shrugged, as if saying ‘what can you do?’ and honestly, he couldn’t disagree with that. It had been another horrid killer gone, and while Murdoc had done it, they could still, though only barely, slightly trust him. 

Matty sighed.  
“I have a feeling I’m going to regret this, but fine. All of you go.”  
Murdoc beamed. 

As they geared up to go, he, Riley and Desi discussed the likelihood of everything turning out well, and unfortunately, like him, they weren’t too hopeful.  
He knew the wildcards were Murdoc and Andrews, who were currently quietly but passionately discussing something in the corner, and given who they both were as people, Mac _really_ didn’t want to know what it was about.  
Finishing up, they loaded up into the van. 

Half an hour later, he, Riley, Desi, Murdoc and Andrews were infiltrating the warehouse that the latter had led them to. As soon as they walked in, Matty’s voice disappeared from their comms, so they knew there was some kind of blocking around the building, rendering their comms useless.  
There was an alarming number of people milling about, all with weapons, and Mac knew that there was no way the five of them were going to make their way through the compound unnoticed.  
Quickly shutting themselves into a small storage room as they heard a group of people walking closer, Mac pondered their options. 

The cameras would have to be shut off so no one could monitor them as they moved around, and a large distraction was needed. Obviously it’d be easier to move around in smaller numbers, but Mac didn’t quite trust Murdoc and Andrews to quietly move around. He also knew that if Riley could get into the command centre he was sure they had, she could control the cameras as well as wreck havoc to distract from them creeping around and finding Leland. 

Mac really didn’t want to be with Andrews and Murdoc by himself but, even though he knew without a doubt Riley could handle herself, he’d prefer Desi go with her through this warehouse full of killers. He also knew that if he suggested to Desi to stay with Murdoc and Andrews, he was in danger of getting shot.  
Looking at the two of them, he said, “how about you two go and disable the cameras, and even though comms aren't working, we’ll stay put until you get back.”

Desi gave him a look, and Mac felt that she knew exactly why this was the plan he’d come up with, so he quickly looked at Riley. With her eyes, she asked if he was sure, and when he nodded, she came closer and put a hand on his arm.  
“If they try anything, knock them out.”

He grinned at the reference.  
“Gladly.”

“Really? Again with that? I behaved _perfectly_ fine last time!”  
He and Riley shared a grin over Murdoc’s offense, and after squeezing his arm, she and Desi were off. He turned and was slightly taken aback by the glee on Murdoc’s face and the dismay on Andrews’. 

Mac looked around, trying to find something to do. He needed to get his mind off the fact that he was basically a sitting duck with two killers and besides, he had never been good at sitting and doing nothing. Andrews' voice however, distracted him from the need to find a distraction.  
“I’m glad Desiree went as well. I admit I didn’t like her at first, what with all her constant death threats, but I have to admit she is good at what she does and I’m sure she’ll take out many of Leland’s people as she escorts Riley to the command centre.”

Mac looked at Andrews with confusion. Yes Desi had great skills, and he had no doubt she’d try to take out as many men as discreetly as she could, but why was he suddenly complimenting her? Also, Mac didn’t appreciate the fact that Andrews made it sound as if Riley couldn’t do any of that herself.  
His confusion only grew as he looked at Murdoc. Why was he frowning at Andrews as well? Was it because Riley, his new BFF, had just been insulted?

In his line of work, Mac understood the inner workings of killers, but these two, he didn’t think he’d ever understand. That was proved when Murdoc spoke up.  
“Yes Ms Desiree can take out people one by one, but Riley can cause an entire building to shut down, lock them in rooms rendering them immobile, and cause entire buildings to collapse, all with just a phone or laptop.”

Were Andrews and Murdoc… fighting over the skills of Riley and Desi? Why the hell were they doing that?

Andrews' eyes narrowed on Murdoc.  
"While that may be true, it's the physical skills that are most needed in this line of work and clearly, Desi is the superior agent in that regard."

Riley wasn't here listening to this strange conversation, but Murdoc looked offended on behalf of her.  
"There are _so many_ things wrong with your statement Eric. Firstly, I know you were in your prime in the 13th century, but in this new age, Riley is arguably one of the most important agents in Phoenix. Why physically fight a small army when you can just immobilize them before they even reach you? Besides, clearly you haven't Ms Davis in action. If I were to actually take an apprentice, I would be honoured to have her."

Damn. Coming from Murdoc, that was pretty high praise, and if that speech was any indication, Murdoc clearly considered Riley a good friend. Andrews placed across the room, and Mac thought he was getting himself hyped up to continue this strange argument when, much faster than Mac had expected, he grabbed a coil of chains and ran out the door in a single motion. He slammed the door shut and they heard him chaining up the door before he or Murdoc realised what was happening and took action.

Mac tried the door but it wasn't even budging, and yelling through it said, "come on Andrews! We're here to _help_ you, we're on the same side!"

And through the door they heard his voice.  
“Codex needs to be snuffed out while it’s still down, and that can’t happen with your passive tactics. I need to do it my way and I can’t let you guys stop me,” and with the sound of footsteps fading away, Andrews was gone, presumably on another killing spree. 

Murdoc looked visibly outraged.  
“He thinks my methods are _passive?!_ ”

Mac stared at him.  
“ _That’s_ what you're annoyed about?!”

Staring back indignantly, he replied, “I have a reputation to uphold Angus!”

Mac shook his head and started looking around the room, not wanting to be stuck in this room with Murdoc for any longer than possible. 

Murdoc let out a sigh from behind him, as if he was recalling old memories.  
“I remember the last time I was stuck in a room while on a Phoenix mission. Riley and I had a _lovely_ conversation.”

Mac knew he shouldn’t encourage whatever nonsense Murdoc was about to say, but Riley hadn’t said anything about it yet and he was curious. Trying to downplay it though, he spoke with casualness in his voice as he looked around.  
“Yeah, you guys seem like real buddies now.”

A chuckle sounded from behind him.  
"She hasn't told you what we talked about?"

How did he know his thoughts?  
Reluctantly he admitted, “she said you were teasing her about something, but didn’t say exactly about what.”

“If she hasn’t told you, I won’t either. It’s not in my place to say.”  
He turned and stared at Murdoc. Since when did he care about decency and basic human interaction?

Shaking it off, Mac started looking around for a way to get through the chains, and after a few moments, Murdoc spoke up.  
"Hmmm… what can we do while we pass the time. Let's play a little game shall we?"

Mac scoffed.  
“If you haven’t realised, we’re stuck in here while Andrews starts another killing spree, and since you look like you’re not about to get up from that chair, I need to find us a way to get out of here, so I’m going to politely decline.”

An infuriating chuckle came from behind him.  
“I get that you don’t like being away from Riley, and Desi I suppose, but there’s no need to unleash your frustrations on me Angus. A simple no would have sufficed.”  
Mac needed to find a way to get out of here fast, otherwise he might actually act on Riley’s advice and knock the man out. 

“I know you said you don’t want to play, but I do, so I’ll make this easy for you. I’ll give you a scenario and you tell me your opinion on it. Simple enough, right Angus?”  
Mac refused to say anything, not wanting to be part of this, but apparently taking his silence as an agreement, Murdoc launched into his story.  
“Let’s pretend there’s a hypothetical scenario where I have a hypothetical friend who has to choose between two people, a person A and a person B. My hypothetical friend is always happy being himself around person A, but around person B, he feels as if he needs to change his ways. If that’s the scenario, who should my hypothetical friend choose as his life partner, person A or person B?” 

Mac turned and looked at him confused. What kind of strange multiple choice game was this? It seemed like strange behavior, even for Murdoc, and that was saying something. At his silence, the other man said, "this is not a rhetorical question Angus, I want your opinion, which person should my hypothetical friend choose?" 

Mac shrugged, thinking _what the hell_ , and answered, "person A I guess."

Murdoc nodded, as if he agreed with Mac's choice, then continued.  
"What if person A finds genuine interest in my friends’ interests and wants to know more about them because _he_ loves them, whereas person B just thinks they're boring and makes no efforts to try and like the interests. Who should my friend go with then?"

Who was this hypothetical friend of Murdoc's who was having these relationship troubles?  
"Angus?" 

Mac sighed, having a feeling Murdoc would keep pestering him till he answered, so he replied, "still person A I guess."  
Not waiting to see Murdoc’s reply, Mac started collecting items that he could use to get them out of here, and hopefully far away from whatever nonsense Murdoc was spouting. 

There were only a few moments of silence before, “what if, when leaving, my hypothetical friend goes close to person A and whispers a few words as if to reassure himself that she’ll be okay, but with person B, he just leaves without doing anything. Who should my friend be with then?”

Mac turned and raised an eyebrow, he was still doing this? Had Murdoc finally lost the last bit of sanity he had? But when Murdoc simply raised his own eyebrow in return, waiting for an answer, Mac sighed and said, "still person A." 

Murdoc grinned, as if that was the answer he’d wanted, and Mac turned back to grab the gas canister, the hose, a metal pipe, a lighter, and a pair of goggles that were luckily just lying around.

“My hypothetical friend has had a rough few years, hardening him from the softer person he used to be, but when he’s around person A, he falls back into that softer, happier personality without even realising it. With person B however, he tends to argue with her, adding to his stress. Who should he be with then?”

Crouching down next to the items he’d collected and not fully paying attention to Murdoc, he said, “person A,” while trying to figure out how to put everything together.  
Realising what to do, with his Swiss Army knife he cut off the hose to fit it over the valve of the gas canister, and started attaching the metal pipe to the end of it when Murdoc started speaking again. 

“My hypothetical friend has known person A for quite sometime and this person has been with him through thick and thin, always a constant in his ever changing life, while person B is relatively new, and while she seems to be an okay person, she doesn’t quite trust my friend. Who should he be with then?”

Duct-taping the hose so it was airtight, Mac murmured, “person A.”  
Though he could hear what Murdoc was saying, his focus was mainly on constructing a crude welding device, so while Murdoc’s words were ringing some bells, he couldn’t exactly place why that was. He did however have the faint thought that this person A seemed like an amazing person and would, without question, be the best life partner for Murdoc’s hypothetical friend. 

Mac got a few minutes of blessed silence, and he had almost finished his invention when Murdoc spoke again.  
“Person A followed my hypothetical friend when he joined the enemy because, even though he hadn’t told her what his actions were going to be, person A trusted him implicitly to know that he was still good at heart and had a plan. Compare that to person B who _immediately_ thought my friend was a traitor, even when person A tried to convince her that that wasn’t the case. Who should my _hypothetical_ friend choose then?”  
Mac froze, his hands automatically stopping as the bells ringing in his head suddenly made sense, and he slowly turned to face a smirking Murdoc.  
“For a genius, it took you _much_ longer to realise than I thought it would.”

Still not quite believing that it was he who was the topic of Murdoc’s absurd scenarios, he scoffed and said, “sorry if I didn’t think that you, a _psychopathic assassin_ , would be interested in my love life.”

Shrugging off the psychopathic assassin bit, Murdoc chuckled and said, “but you’re my BFF Angus, _of course_ I’m taking an interest in your love life. Besides, I find that along with you, Ms Davis seems to be one of the few humans I actually like and I’m just doing what’s best for her, for the both of you.”

Mac just stared at him.  
_What. Was. Happening._  
Seriously. He had been in some really strange situations with Murdoc but this, legitimately, was the absolute strangest of them all.  
Not knowing his _immense_ confusion, Murdoc continued.  
“Even you yourself have agreed that Ms Davis is best for you, albeit under disguise, but the point still stands,” and grinning, Murdoc added, “I can’t wait to tell Eric about this!”

For a second Mac didn’t know if he’d heard correctly, but then decided that he had.  
What the hell did Andrews have to do with this ridiculous situation?  
Seeing his confusion, Murdoc said, “my old friend Eric has proved to me how clueless he is about the goings on between young people, and insists that Ms Desiree is a much better match for you.”  
What the _fuck_ was happening? Is this what the two had been discussing earlier in the day?  
Speaking through his stunned silence, Murdoc said, “he disagreed with the fact that, actually, Riley would make a _perfect_ match for you, and, because I firmly believe that you and our dear Riley will end up getting together at some point, I agreed to his bet. Obviously, because you and Desi are together at the moment, Eric is currently winning and I owe him details about some of the hits I’ve carried out.”

Mac stared again.  
Had he hit his head, knocked himself out and was currently in a ridiculous alternate reality dream state? That would be the only reason why two _psychopathic serial killers_ were betting over his _love life_.  
Mac genuinely had absolutely no words to describe how completely _ridiculous_ this all was.  
Deciding it was best to not touch the bet thing, Mac instead said, “you know that Desi and I broke up a few weeks ago right?”

Now it was Murdoc’s turn to be surprised and he stared at Mac for a few seconds with his mouth agape.  
He suddenly burst the silence.  
“ _Seriously?!_ I’ve wasted my perfect persuasive speech on an occasion when it’s not even needed?” and shaking his head, Murdoc murmmed, “I bet that _scoundrel_ Eric already knew about this development and was taking advantage of my cluelessness. He now owes _me_ details, preferably on that hit he carried out in Tuscany.” 

Okay. Murdoc had brought it up again and Mac decided that, actually, he just _had_ to comment on it.  
“You and Andrews have a bet going about if I’ll choose Riley or Desi?”

Murdoc shrugged.  
“It only started today when he mentioned that he thinks you and Desi make a lovely couple. I was so outraged, and so sure that you’d finally come to your senses and realise that Ms Davis is the perfect life partner for you that I was willing to bet on it. I have no money at the moment, so we’re betting for information about kills we’ve made but told no one about.” He shrugged, as if saying ‘what can you do?’

Mac’s head was spinning from the absolute _absurdity_ of all of this. Quickly putting the goggles over his eyes and getting the lighter ready, he spoke before Murdoc could, ready to get the hell out of being locked in here with him.  
“Okay, I need you to stand back out of the way, it’s going to get hot.”

To his credit, Murdoc nodded and stood well out of the way, and after a minute or so, Mac had managed to melt through a portion of the door, big enough for them to duck their way through. He immediately got ready to fight off the attack that was sure to come, after all, how could a door practically melting go unnoticed, but surprisingly, no one came.  
Either Riley's distraction had worked well, or Andrews had already killed most of the people and honestly, Mac wasn't about to bet on which one it was.

Making their way through the empty hallways, occasionally spotting a body on the ground, they turned the corner and ran into Riley and Desi.  
The moment he saw her, and looked into her eyes which were clearly relieved to see him, it suddenly hit Mac what the slight change in their relationship was. He was starting to see her as more than just a friend. Sure she was one of his closest friends, and honestly she was family at this point, but Mac realised he had also started thinking about Riley, dare he say, romantically?  
That explained why he’d been craving being close to her, spending time with her, and why his heart felt full after all those moments. It also explained the way his heartbeat sped up everytime she casually touched him, or beamed at him, and why he felt the urge to constantly make her smile like that. 

Desi’s voice pulled him out of his realisation.  
“Where’s Andrews?”

Sighing, Mac said, "he locked Murdoc and I in that room and we only just managed to make our way out." 

"And to make things worse, he called me _passive!_ "  
Really? Murdoc was still hung up on that?

Riley looked at him with an eyebrow raised and mouthed, "passive?"  
He sighed and mouthed back "later."  
She nodded and, back in mission mode, they crept around the building in hopes of finding Leland and Andrews. Very quickly they realised that they didn’t have to walk quietly because everyone they ran into were either dead, unconscious, or seriously injured and Mac had never been more in awe of, and definitely more terrified, of Andrews. 

Shaking her head at the scene around them, Riley said, “I caused one of their storage facilities out back to blow up and I know a lot of people went there to check it out, but that explosion certainly didn’t cause all this.”

Murdoc whistled.  
“Maybe that old man isn’t as ancient as I thought him to be.”  
Mac had to agree with him there, Andrews was clearly still just as deadly as he had been before. 

They walked from room to room, checking for signs of life, and after a while, Desi said, “well, I’m gonna bet that Codex will never bother us again.”

Frowning slightly, Riley said, “I know most of his people are gone, but if Leland is still -“  
She stopped as Desi nodded towards the room she’d just checked and, knowing what it was going to be, Mac peaked in from behind Riley to see the body of Leland on the floor.

He felt Riley let out a breath, and putting a hand on her back, he quietly said, “well, I guess Codex is behind us.”

She turned and gave him a small smile.  
“I guess it is.”

“Another feather in team Phoenix’s cap!”

Mac, Riley and Desi all looked at each other with eye rolls and shakes of heads. Leave it to Murdoc to interrupt this moment with his never ending glee.  
Leaving the building, they called Matty and updated her on everything that had gone down and the fact that, even though they tried to look for him, Andrews had apparently once again disappeared. 

Back in the war room, Matty said, “we’ll be keeping an eye on the situation, just in case anyone decides to carry on Leland’s torch, but I’m comfortable saying that Codex is no more.”  
They all smiled at that, but it went away as she continued.  
“Now a problem we _do_ have is that Andrews is missing again.”

“I don’t think he’s going to be a problem Matty.”  
They all looked at him in confusion and Mac hurried to explain himself.  
“Like obviously keep an eye out for him, but when we took him out of prison, it was clear that he hated his past and wanted it to stay in the past. And since his goal has been to get rid of Codex, and now that he’s succeeded, I think he’s going to go back to being that calm, meditative person he was in jail.”

Matty studied him, and after a while nodded.  
“I think you make a good point blondie.”

Obviously, Murdoc also had to get his two cents worth in.  
"While it's a loss for team Phoenix, I have to admit, I'm kind of glad Andrews got away because there's only one spot for an in-house psychopathic killer, and that position is already taken thank you very much!" 

Mac shook his head. Only Murdoc could be happy having the title of on-call psychopath.

From the corner, Desi said, "you know we have Helman locked up right? You may not be able to hear him, but I'm sure you can still see him." 

Murdoc scoffed.  
"If Andrews should've been buried for ten years by now, Helman's bones are dust at this point, he's no help to you. Besides, this Phoenix team you have going on here is young, hip and fresh, so I fit right in!" 

Mac shook his head because he knew, even though it was incorrect, Murdoc meant every word he said.  
Clearly having her fill of crazy killers for the day, Matty pressed a few buttons on her tablet and a few seconds later, the two guards who’d brought Murdoc in at the start of the day walked in.  
Mac noted that, unlike last time, the guards made an effort not to look at either him or Riley, and he realised he'd have to ask her about it at some point. 

Seeing the guards, Murdoc said, "well team, I guess I'm being sent back to my room."  
Mac sighed, knowing a farewell speech was coming, and Murdoc didn't disappoint.  
"It was _lovely_ hanging out with you all, always a treat dealing with killers, seeing old friends, and taking down a slightly cult like group. I can't wait till our next life threatening mission!”  
They all shook their heads at his enthusiasm, but as Murdoc locked his gaze onto him, Mac froze, somehow knowing that he wasn't going to like what was coming.  
"And Macgyver, remember the _game_ we played, I sure hope you learnt something from it!”

He could see Riley, Matty and Desi all staring at him in confusion, but Mac knew Riley would be able to read something in his face so avoided her gaze.  
But clearly it didn't work because, out of his peripheral, he could see Riley's eyes narrow on the smiling Murdoc then back onto him, and his gut feeling told him that somehow, she knew _exactly_ what had happened.  
But how on earth could she guess the absurdity that was the situation that he had been in?  
Unless…  
On the Capacci mission, had Murdoc had a similar chat with Riley? 

“Well, till the next life threatening mission. Toodles!” And with that, Murdoc was escorted out of the room.

Matty let out a sigh of relief.  
“It’s been a _long_ day to say the least. I know I’m ready for some downtime and I’m sure you guys are too. Go out and do something fun, we’ll reconvene tomorrow.”

He and Riley walked out of the war room, and after a moment, Mac couldn’t help himself.  
“I know I said I wouldn’t bring it up,” her eyes snapped to his face, but keeping his ahead, he continued, “what did you and Murdoc talk about during the Capacci mission?”

There was a moment of silence and he finally turned to look at her, and with the look in her eyes, he just _knew_ that she knew _exactly_ why he was asking.  
Narrowing her eyes, she asked, “what did _you_ and Murdoc talk about when you guys were locked in that room?”

He opened his mouth to tell her, but found that he couldn't.  
Yes Murdoc had brought what was clearly lingering in his subconscious to the front of his mind, but telling Riley right now that he was having some… feelings… for her would be too soon.  
He knew he needed to let those feelings solidify and grow before he even thought about acting on them, because only then could he be completely sure about his actions.  
Riley deserved nothing less.  
Shrugging, he went for a half truth.  
"He talked about some of his friends and gambling, typical Murdoc stuff you know?” and giving her a quick glance, added, “what about you?"

She shrugged as well.  
"Torture and kidnapping, typical Murdoc stuff."

After a pause, they looked at each other with a grin. They could both tell the other was lying and Mac guessed that she knew what the actual topic actually was. Given that she was still smiling and still standing next to him, it hit Mac that maybe Riley was feeling the exact way he was.  
His grin only grew, and keeping the mood light, he teased, “well now that Murdoc has replaced me as your BFF, you better not forget about me.”

Riley laughed, and looping her arm through his (his heart fluttering at the action) she teased, “uh uh, you’re long gone buddy. Me and Murdoc are gonna go on numerous killing sprees, me with my signature knives, and irritating the hell out of everyone around us.”

Mac threw his head back and laughed, and they walked the rest of the way, arms linked, coming up with more and more ridiculous situations that being friends with Murdoc would entail.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was only going to write one chapter, but it turns out that this fic wanted to be a trilogy, so here’s the final instalment!   
> Once again, tried to keep it short, but jokes on me because it's actually the longest one yet. Sorry about that!

It had been three months since the mission with Murdoc and Andrews, and things were normal. Well, _almost_ normal.   
Obviously normal had a completely different meaning in their line of work, but they were back to their many cases of doing good, fighting evil, and saving the world. The team had settled into a rhythm, as well as Mac and Desi who had broken up almost six months ago.   
The one thing that was slightly different, was her relationship with Mac. 

After the mission with Murdoc and Andrews, Riley could just tell that the former had also given Mac a talk similar to the one he’d given her. And judging by the way Mac had dodged the question when asked what it was about (much like she'd done), Riley suspected she wasn't the only one with feelings. That suspicion had only grown when she observed the way he acted around her.   
He was always quick to touch her, more so than he had before, he was laughing more and making sure she was laughing as well, and he always found reasons to constantly be with her.   
Given that she had serious feelings for him, Riley _obviously_ didn’t mind any of it. 

She loved it, but it had been too much to keep in, so she ended up spilling everything to Bozer, who was at first completely incredulous by Murdoc’s matchmaking, but eventually found it absolutely _hilarious_.   
With a knowing smile in his eyes, he had told her, in no uncertain terms, that there was no doubt that Mac liked her but, given who he was, he would never initiate anything in case he ruined their friendship if he was wrong.   
Basically, Bozer had told her _she_ needed to do something about it.   
And maybe should would, but honestly she didn’t have the courage to do it now or anytime soon. 

They were currently in the war room, Matty telling them about an elite group, made up of powerful arms dealers, assassins, mercenaries, and mob bosses, to name a few. This group was renowned in criminal circles and along with many other things, were one of the leading forces on deciding who to put hits out on in order to gain power. In the past week alone, eight people had been killed at their command.   
Through Phoenix’s online monitoring of the group, Matty was made aware that there would be a dinner tonight where the members of the group who lived here in LA or close, would meet up. 

You had to know someone to be allowed an invitation, so there was no way they could just rock up, but Matty added, "there is one person who they want as a member of their group, meaning they’ll happily let him in, and yes -" Matty sighed, "- it _is_ Murdoc again."  
Riley met Mac's eyes and they silently stood, trying to read each other's reactions. In his eyes, she saw not fear but… apprehension, and Riley was sure the same was on her face. Given his meddling ways, his talk with her, and his talk, whatever it had been, with Mac, Riley had absolutely no idea what to expect from Murdoc now.

Like the past two times, a smiling Murdoc was escorted in by his normal two guards, both of whom were making an effort not to look at her, or at Mac. After the Capacci mission, she’d had an awkward talk with them about not gossiping around Murdoc because he retained everything they said. She hadn’t said about what specifically, but she knew that they knew, because they refused to look her in the eye.   
Depositing Murdoc in the room, they quickly made their way out. 

“It’s good to be back!”  
Groans sounded across the room, and smiling at the reaction he’d caused, Murdoc rested his eyes on her and Mac, as if trying to figure out if their relationship had changed.   
Riley shook her head, he was unbelievable. At least it meant that her awkward talk was not for nothing and the guards weren’t gossiping anymore. 

Thankfully, Matty spoke up before he could say anything else.  
“Murdoc, I briefed you about this already so I’m sure you’re ready to go.”

Nodding while smiling he said, “Am I ever! Always _honoured_ to be a member of team Phoenix!”

Completely ignoring him, Matty looked at them all while she continued.   
"Obviously we're not letting Murdoc go alone, so I decided to resurrect Riley's position as his apprentice -" oh yay, more one on one time with him, "- so she can go with him to the event."

Murdoc beamed at her and she sighed, knowing there was no way that he wasn’t going to bring up the Mac situation again.   
“I’m always happy to work with Ms Davis, Matilda. She’s one of the finest agents out there and I hope you know how valuable she is.”

Praise from Murdoc always took some getting used to, and Matty sighing, seeming to already be done with his antics, replied, “thank you Murdoc, I’m quite aware of that.”

Next to her, Mac quietly whispered into her ear.   
“Wow, your BFF really has your back."  
She huffed out laughter and from her peripheral could see him grin at the reaction he’d caused as he straightened back up. 

Murdoc’s eyes locked into them, and seeming like he was plotting something (apprehension building in her), he turned to Matty.  
“Matilda, if you’d be open to hear my suggestion, I have something that could make this situation better for you all.”  
She raised an eyebrow, and smiling, he continued.  
“This group, you see, is big on family and familial connections and really values that,” everyone made sounds of disbelief and shrugging, he admitted, “obviously they don’t know about Cassian because there are _some_ in our small town with no morals, but this group is actually rather civilised.”

Desi scoffed.  
“Yeah, family oriented people who murder others. Makes sense.”

Murdoc stared at her in confusion, as if he didn’t understand what was wrong with her statement.  
“It makes complete sense,” and shaking his head and looking back at Matty, he continued.  
“Anyway, my point was that playing on that would be a good way to make them accept Riley more, and it’d be a great way for you to get in another agent.”

Matty studied him then nodded.  
“Okay, you make a good point. And how exactly do you suggest we do that?”

“She can have a partner, preferably in marriage, who is in the same line of business.”

Surely he wasn’t trying to play matchmaker again? 

Before he could explain his plan further, Russ, seeming to be slightly annoyed to be constantly left out of Murdoc's plans, volunteered.  
"I can go with Riley."

Murdoc immediately scoffed, saying, "I want someone to go undercover as Ms Davis' husband, not her _father_ ," causing a scowl on Russ' face and Riley grinned as she remembered the story Mac had told her about Vincent thinking Russ was Mac’s father. Judging from the deepening scowl on Russ' face, he was remembering it too. 

Turning to Desi, Murdoc said, “you have great skills, my old pal Eric is a _huge_ fan of yours -" why did Mac scoff next to her? "- but unfortunately, many of the group tend to be small minded when it comes to certain things. I myself am a _proud_ ally of the LGBTQ community and would have no problem with it, but if the goal is for us to fit into this group, you, unfortunately, can not come on Ms Davis' arm."  
Damn. A psychopathic assassin with morals. Who knew?   
Next to her, Mac shook his head as if he couldn't quite believe it either. 

Gaze moving to land on Bozer, Murdoc said, "now _you_ are more of a husband fit, but, and don't take this personally Wilt, you and Riley together are not the show stopping couple that this mission requires.”  
Riley forced herself not to bury her face into her hands. _Surely_ everyone saw what Murdoc was doing? They _were_ secret agents after all, how could they _not_ know?

A grin lit up Boze's face, after all, Riley had told him everything, and he instantly replied, "I take no offense. And besides, Riley’s basically my sister so it’d be weird to play her husband.”

Somehow knowing that Bozer knew, Murdoc's grin grew larger.  
"I knew you were a smart man Wilt."

Bozer returned the smile then turned to her, not fazed at all by her _‘shut the hell up!’_ look, because he knew she wouldn't explain herself in front of everyone.   
Riley regretted ever telling him. He was officially getting his best friend privileges taken away.   
Everyone else seemed confused at the exchange, even Mac, who she hadn't told that she'd told Bozer.

Murdoc's gaze finally landed on Mac and he sighed, failing miserably to hide his glee.  
"I guess that just leaves you, Angus."

Muttering under his breath, so only she could hear him, Mac said, "wow, who could've seen _that_ coming."

Matty sighed.  
“I could’ve saved you the time Murdoc, I would’ve chosen Mac to go anyway. He and Riley are perfect together for this mission.”  
Riley knew that Matty meant that in terms of agents and undercover experience, but when Murdoc’s face lit up at her words, Riley couldn’t help but feel her face heat up slightly.   
Matty had said she and Mac were _perfect_ together.   
A side glance at Mac showed that he was making an effort not to look at her, but she didn't miss the slight flush creeping up his neck.

And so, 20 minutes later, she walked into the labs wearing a simple but flowy wedding dress. Like they had done with the winery mission all that time ago with Leanna, they needed to fake photos for their online presence. Only this time, instead of Boze, her 'husband' was Mac and she couldn't help the slight fluttering in her stomach at the thought.

Mac's back was to her, but even then, she could see how well the tux fitted him and just how _good_ he looked in it.   
He must've heard her come in because he turned around and instantly froze.   
Slowly, almost as if he had no control over his actions, he trailed his gaze up, taking her entire body in. Heat pooled low in her stomach and she couldn't take her eyes off of him while he checked her out. 

His eyes were finally about to meet hers when - “Eh, I guess you look presentable."

It felt like ice had been thrown over her and she and Mac turned to glare at Murdoc, who was sitting in the corner of the lab and watching everything unfold. She suddenly wished she had a large heavy object to throw at him.   
Russ and Desi had gone to work another angle but Murdoc had requested to sit in for their cover story planning, saying that, if she actually were his apprentice, he’d be aware of it. And while that was true, Riley had no doubt that that wasn’t the only reason, but since Matty had agreed, she couldn’t say anything about it. 

Bozer walked in, holding a small box, and looking at the two of them, said with a smile, “well well well, don’t you two look like an absolutely _stunning_ couple!”  
She turned her glare onto him, not appreciating his glee at her situation. She didn’t have enough courage to see what Mac’s reaction was.

Bozer just chuckled and opened the box to reveal two simple gold bands.   
“I figured an assassin in training wouldn't have fancy jewellery and I thought it'd be cute if you and Mac matched.  
A weird impulse to have Mac put on her ring, and her put on his, ran through her, and Mac paused as well. Was he thinking the same thing?  
“Y’all just gonna stare at them or actually put them on?”  
Snapping out of it, she glared at Bozer again and reaching for her ring, slid it on herself. Mac did the same. 

Applause sounded from the corner.   
“I now pronounce you Mr and Mrs Macgyver.”  
Both she and Mac immediately turned to glare at him, ignoring the guffaws coming from Bozer.

Mirth still clear in his voice, Bozer picked up a camera and nodded his head towards the green screen, saying, "okay guys, let's get these wedding photos." 

She and Mac walked over and stood, almost nervously, in front of it. Bozer grinned.  
"Okay, firstly we'll do a classic -"  
She turned to Bozer, begging with her eyes for him not to ask them to kiss for a picture and, though he absolutely loved teasing her, even when it wasn't appropriate, he could tell when she genuinely didn't want to do something so nodded and said, "okay guys, I'm gonna need you to put your faces close together and lovingly gaze into each others eyes."

Riley let out a breath, maybe Bozer wasn’t getting his best friend privileges taken away. That was still going to be hell on her feelings being that close to Mac, but it was still better than kissing him.  
 _Obviously_ she had thought of kissing Mac a few times but she _definitely_ didn't want the first time to be on command and with an audience. 

Giving her a slightly apologetic look, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, and she slid hers around the back of his neck. Their chests were practically touching and his face was now just a breath or so away from hers.   
Her heart was pounding.  
Mac gave her a shy grin, (one which caused her heart to _melt_ ), and she couldn't help but smile back.  
Before she knew it, Bozer had taken a few photos and she and Mac both sharply turned to him.  
"We weren't ready!"

Peeking over from Bozer’s shoulder, looking at the camera screen, Murdoc chuckled.  
"Oh no my dear agents, that photo was _perfect_. Quite believable in fact.”

Riley refused to comment, and when Mac didn’t say anything either, Bozer said, "hold that pose, but instead of just smiling at each other, whisper and talk to each other so I can get a candid picture."

Smile firmly in place, Mac whispered so only she could hear.  
"If this doesnt end soon, I'm going to take that camera off of Boze and shove it into Murdoc's too-smug face."

She couldn't help but laugh at that, and once again seeing her reaction, a genuine smile lit up his face. The flash went off and they continued to whisper what they'd do to Murdoc to get that smug grin off of his face, not being able to help laughing at the fact that he was standing right there but not hearing a thing that they were saying about him.  
After a few moments Bozer let them know he'd gotten enough. They didn't need a lot of shots because she was going undercover as an assassin in training and Mac as an arms dealer, and both those professions meant that they wouldn't have a strong online presence. And though she _loved_ being this close to Mac, she was glad she didn’t have to do it for long because, knowing it wasn’t actually true, she didn’t know if her heart could take anymore. 

Mac and Riley joined them at the table and Bozer put the camera down and grabbed a tablet to note all the details so she could secure their online presence before they left.   
“Okay, first of all, how long have you two been married?”

Murdoc spoke up.  
“Maybe do it for a year or two, that way if you don’t know every single detail about each other, it won’t be suspicious.”

Riley was impressed, that was pretty good reasoning on his part, but obviously Bozer had to add to it.  
“I seriously doubt there’s anything these two don’t know about each other,” and grinning at Murdoc’s chuckle but trying to smother it when he met her and Mac’s hard looks, quickly added, “but yeah, two years should do it. Congratulations, you two were officially married on the completely arbitrary date of 25th September.”  
After noting it down, he asked, “and where was your wedding held?”

She and Mac looked at each other, slightly awkwardly, and with a shrug Mac said, “well, you said that you love Hawaii right? How about there?”

Riley was slightly surprised he remembered, she had only mentioned it a few times in passing, but shrugging, she said, “sure, sounds good.”  
After some discussion, their ‘wedding’ ended up being an intimate affair on a private beach, and they went into more detail about who came, what they ate and stuff like that to make it feel more real.  
Riley never thought she’d be planning a wedding with Mac, and obviously it was for the mission, but given that she had feelings for him, it just… hit differently. 

Noting it all down, Bozer then asked, “where was your guys’ honeymoon?”

She and Mac turned to each other and smiling, said in unison, “Yellowknife Canada.”

“Well _that_ was a quick answer. What happened in Yellowknife that you both picked it as your honeymoon destination?”  
She didn’t elaborate, Mac didn’t either, and Murdoc said, “okaaay lovebirds, don’t tell us then.”

Chuckling, Bozer continued with the planning.  
“Okay, what activities did you guys do?”

Riley was about to say roast marshmallows and watch the Aurora Borealis, and from Mac’s grin could tell he was about to say the same, when Murdoc cut in in an admonishing tone.   
“Bozer. It's their _honeymoon_. I didn't think I'd have to explain the birds and the bees to someone _your_ age!”  
Riley instantly froze up. She hated Murdoc, and not for his psychopathic killer ways.   
She was _not_ going to let her mind focus on Murdoc’s words because she knew if she did, she would think about what he was implying and she’d never be able to get that thought out of her mind, or more importantly, hide what was going on in her head from Mac. 

She refused to look at Mac, but could tell he was doing the same, and once Bozer’s laughter died down slightly, he said, “yes, well, Riley and I have a story so it’s okay. Our own thing, I mean, not what you, uh, suggested.”  
His cheeks were tinged slightly pink. Maybe he hadn’t done as good of a job as she had at not letting herself think about it.   
Murdoc and Bozer laughed heartily at Mac’s response, and feeling sorry for him, Riley brought them all back onto topic and they obliged, but the smiles never left their faces.

Done with creating a lot of their cover, Mac left the room and Riley took her laptop and Bozer’s list to a different table and started creating their online presence, leaving Bozer and Murdoc to whisper amongst themselves (she couldn’t hear them, but knew _exactly_ what they were talking about anyway).   
She felt slightly silly in the wedding dress but this needed to be done ASAP so she ignored it and continued. 

Mac walked back in, still in his tux but with a bag of pretzels from the kitchen, and dragging a chair next to her, put it between them. She shot him an appreciative smile and they dug in. There was a comfortable silence between them as they ate and she typed with one hand.   
After a few minutes, when the bag was almost done, Mac looked at Bozer and Murdoc happily whisper-gossiping and turned to her with confusion.  
“Since when are those two friends?”

Riley sighed.   
“I _may_ have talked to Bozer about my conversation with Murdoc during the Capacci mission, and I think Murdoc figured out that he knows.”

Putting down the pretzel he had been about to eat, Mac spoke after a pause and she was surprised to hear the slight hurt in his voice.  
“You talked to Bozer about it but not me?”

Slowing her mouthful, she hurried to reassure him.   
“Both you and Boze are my best friends but I definitely couldn't talk to you about it because… well... you know…" she trailed off.   
_Because I think I'm in love with you, you idiot._  
Mac loosely knew what Murdoc and her had talked about so she was sure her clumsy explanation was enough to reassure him.   
But as Mac stared at her without reacting, she suddenly realised what she'd said and froze.   
_Obviously_ she hadn't said the last bit out loud, but Mac had never needed her to voice her feelings, for him to know them.   
She had practically just confessed her feelings to him! 

Riley was getting ready to bolt, long wedding dress be damned, when a beautiful, radiant smile grew on his face (her heartbeat going crazy at the sight) and he slowly said, "maybe you aren't the only one who's been talking with Boze about… things."  
Did Mac mean…?   
She blinked a few times then turned and looked at Bozer who, along with Murdoc, was watching them both with a knowing smile.  
 _That sneaky son of a bitch._   
All the times she'd been talking about her feelings with Bozer, Mac had been doing the same thing, and Bozer hadn’t said a word to her. That explained why he’d been so confident that Mac felt the same, because he actually _knew_ that for a fact. 

Riley paused.   
Should she take Bozer’s advice and just come out and tell Mac how she felt about him? She opened her mouth, even though she still hadn’t made up her mind, but thankfully, Matty rushed in, telling them to get a move on to get dressed for the evening because their planning session had taken a bit longer than expected.  
In a different room, she quickly dressed in a form fitting, slightly strappy black cocktail dress that had been picked out for her. She had to admit, she looked good in it.   
One of the agents pulled her hair into a sleek updo while Riley put on a few bracelets. One in particular, a chunkier gold one, actually secretly held a small USB device she could use to transfer files to Phoenix directly. 

She hurried to the garage, they were driving themselves, and was slightly startled as she saw Murdoc. Given that she'd seen him for the past year or so in an orange jumpsuit, it was strange to see him wearing a tux.   
Mac on the other hand, was a completely different story. He was wearing a black suit, no tie, with the top few buttons undone. He looked every bit a rich, young, arms dealer and more importantly, he looked _hot_. 

Matty was there as well, giving them a last few instructions, especially because they’d have no communication once they went in. While Riley _was_ listening, she couldn’t help but feel slightly disheartened that Mac made no reaction to her outfit, but then again, she’d made sure not to react to his so maybe he was doing the same. Then again, maybe after how he’d reacted to her in the wedding dress, he didn’t want to give Murdoc more things to tease them about.   
They nodded as Matty finished up, and Riley smiled at Mac as he opened the door to the backseat, none of them wanting Murdoc to sit behind them both, and as she passed him, Mac quietly whispered, “you look absolutely _amazing_.”  
She turned to look at him in surprise but he only smiled before going to the driver's seat.   
Clearly he _had_ noticed after all. 

The drive was made, surprisingly, with the three of them going over their cover story. Murdoc was on his best behavior apparently.   
The word house was definitely an understatement to describe the towering mansion they pulled up to, but they walked up as if this was normal for them, and knocking on the door caused an old man in a fancy suit to open it up.  
Murdoc threw his arms out and grinned.  
“Kenneth Mulbrough, good to see you!”

Seeming to be slightly taken aback by his enthusiasm, Mulbrough nodded back, and turning his gaze onto her and Mac asked, “and who are they?”

“I’ve decided to take an apprentice Kenneth, after all, my skills are too good not to share, and so these lovely people are Alyssa and Levi, my apprentice and their partner.”

Kenneth nodded, seeming impressed, and looking at Mac asked, “how long have you worked under Murdoc?”

Mac chuckled, saying, “I’m afraid you’re mistaken, I’m not his apprentice, _she_ is.”

Mulbrough looked at her with surprise,   
“A _woman_ is your apprentice? Does she even have the skills?”

Riley was about to come up with a sharp retort, and could tell Mac was about to do the same, but Murdoc got there first.  
“You _do_ know that I’m an assassin right? I have a good mind to use you as practice over that comment you just said, or better yet,” he chuckled, “I’ll have Alyssa showcase her skills on you. It’ll be the last thing you see.”  
Psychopathic assassin with morals strikes again apparently. 

Mulbrough held his hands up in surrender and then ushered them in. They were quickly introduced around the room and Riley realised Murdoc wasn’t kidding about the family thing. Of the 30 or so guests, most had brought their spouse, a third or so had brought their siblings, and one couple had even brought their baby. 

They soon sat along a very long table, Mac on one side of her and Murdoc on the other, and after a toast to their good health and success, they tucked into the very fancy dinner. Because there were so many people spread across the table, there were many individual conversations going on, and an older lady sitting across from her (Riley couldn’t even _begin_ to guess what her role was, she looked like a sweet librarian), asked, “what got you into the assassin business sweetheart?”

Riley knew the best cover story was close to the truth so she said, “my first kill, many years ago, was actually in self defence. I managed to wrestle his gun off of him and use it against him. I found that I actually enjoyed it, it gave me a thrill, and I was hooked ever since.”

The words she was saying absolutely disgusted her, so she was proud she managed to say it with a straight face, a smirk even.   
In reality, that moment had haunted her for weeks and she’d lost many nights of sleep over it. Mac, knowing where her thoughts actually were, reached for her hand under the table and, when he intertwined his fingers with hers, she tightly held on. 

She was glad when Murdoc continued the story, giving her a moment to take a breath.  
“It must’ve been a few years after Alyssa’s origin story that I saw her beating a man who’d stolen someone’s purse. It seems pretty mundane but I recognised the barely hidden ruthlessness there and took her under my wing. She has truly flourished under my guidance.”

The lady nodded and then turned their attention onto Mac.  
“And what about you dear? How did you get into the arms dealing business?”

“It’s a family business -” approving nods came from everyone, “- my father ran it before me, and honestly I didn’t think I’d follow in his footsteps but -” he shrugged, “- I kind of just fell into it as well. When he died, I took over.”  
Riley squeezed his hand, knowing his fathers death was still hard on him, and he squeezed back, his face giving nothing away.   
Dinner was soon over and Riley was glad that, from the three of them, Murdoc had talked for most of it.  
In a different room, glasses of wine and whiskey were handed out and a table of mini desserts was uncovered, the new layout allowing people to walk about and casually talk with each other. 

The young mercenary couple, the one with the baby who was now asleep elsewhere, stood to chat with the three of them. Jeremy and Nadia talked about their own wedding and asked about theirs, Riley glad that they had discussed it at such length back at Phoenix. The discussion then went to their honeymoons, there’s had been in New Zealand, and Nadia said, "I've always wanted to go to Yellowknife, those mountains seem _gorgeous!_ Did you two do any of the hikes there?" 

Mac and Riley looked at each other, deciding if they should go with the marshmallow and Aurora Borealis story or Bozer and Murdoc's one, but clearly interpreting their looks to mean the latter, Nadia laughed and said, "oh no no, I shouldn't have asked. You both were there on your _honeymoon_."

Because it was already decided for them, Mac clearly decided to play to it and, trailing a hand down until it rested on the small of her back (her breath hitching at the movement), he locked his gaze onto hers while replying to Nadia.  
"Let’s just say… what I was looking at was _much_ more gorgeous than those mountains."  
Riley's breath seemed to get stuck in her throat as his gaze never wavered from hers, and Murdoc's chuckle and the couple's response didn't really register in her brain. 

There was an intensity in his gaze and it caused a fire within her and suddenly the only thought in her mind was that she should pull his face down onto hers.   
Suddenly just _too much_ for her, she broke the gaze and looked at the couple in front of her with, what she hoped, was a joking smile that didn't show the shakiness she was really feeling.  
“I know Levi here is a tough arms dealer, but I hate to break it to you, he has a sappy romantic side.”

Wrapping an arm around his wife, Jeremy grinned.  
“Hey, if you can’t be a cheesy, sappy romantic with your wife, then what’s the point?”

Mac chuckled next to her and slid his hand along her back to rest on her hip, saying, “ain’t that the truth.”

Because it’d be quite obvious to everyone if Murdoc left the room, the three of them split up and she and Mac strategically made conversation with people to get closer and closer to the hallway.   
Everyone was milling about, talking to one another, grabbing food, and if she didn't know what everyone did for a living, she might've actually enjoyed it.   
Knowing that this was probably the best opportunity they were going to get, they made eye contact with Murdoc who nodded, then slowly made their way to the edge of the room, and when they were sure no one was looking, into the hallway. 

They carefully looked into the rooms as they walked past them, and in a smaller hallway, one of the rooms had Jeremy and Nadia’s sleeping baby. The room next to that was an office with a computer, and realising they’d hit the jackpot, they quickly snuck in and closed the door behind them.   
She pulled the USB out of her bracelet and stuck it in the port, and while she watched it copy everything and send it over, Mac was on lookout duty.

After a few minutes or so, she was almost done when Mac turned to her in alarm, whispering, “Jeremy and Mulbrough are next door checking on the baby but I heard him say he wants to check something in his office first before they go back to the party.”

_Oh no._

There was only one way out of the office, it didn’t even have any windows, and anyway, to get back to the party they’d have to walk past the room Mulbrough and Jeremy were in. She quickly took out the device, put it back in her bracelet, and turned the computer off like it was before, and looked at Mac.   
Presumably they had a few moments before the other two walked in, but whatever their plan was going to be, they needed to keep their cover. 

Riley could tell that the same idea hit them both at the exact same time and she couldn't believe this was about to be a possibility. It was so typical and happened in all the spy movies, yet here it was happening in real life.   
Mac, genuinely asking, said, "I'm all ears for another plan."

She shook her head, not being able to think of anything (especially now that the possibility of kissing Mac was in her mind).  
She didn’t really want her first kiss with Mac to be for a mission, but if it was either that or their lives, _obviously_ she knew what she was going to choose.   
She gave a small nod and, giving her that slightly shy smile again (the one that melted her heart) he came closer, and as he slid his arms around her waist, pulling her close, she reached up and grabbed the lapels of his jacket.   
Her heart was thumping loudly and heat consumed her body once again, but mixed in with the heat Mac’s body was radiating, it felt like it was amplified tenfold. 

She automatically licked her lips and his eyes seemed transfixed by the movement.   
Mac, now mere _millimeters_ away from her, her heartbeat going _crazy_ in anticipation, looked up into her eyes, and, voice slightly raspy, whispered, "I’ve been wanting to do this for quite some time now -” _he had?!_ “- so the fact that we have to do it to maintain our cover is only a happy coincidence.”

Her fears about this only being for a mission melted away and she stretched up slightly to meet him. His head dipped closer, until it was too close to see, and she closed her eyes just as his lips gently touched hers.   
Her heart _soared_ at the feeling and she couldn't quite believe it.  
 _She was kissing Mac!_  
But his lips gliding over her lips and his tongue tracing her tongue assured her it was real and she slid her hands up his chest and clasped them behind his neck to keep her from floating away, but when that wasn't enough, she reached just a bit higher and couldn't help but sink her hands into his hair, pulling it slightly.

But _that_ caused Mac to simultaneously growl slightly against her mouth (her stomach _swooping_ at the sound) and push her hard against the wall, pressing his body into hers, the heat from them both enveloping them.   
She moaned into the kiss, grabbing tighter onto his hair.   
Suddenly, instead of soft and sweet, they were _hungrily_ kissing each other, almost desperately, running their hands all over each other as his insistent mouth devoured hers and she feverishly responded, nothing else in her mind other than _Mac! Mac! Mac!_

He suddenly pulled back, just enough to talk, and the sight of his swollen lips, flushed face, and lust filled eyes drilling into her was enough to send her into cardiac arrest. 

Both of them were breathing heavily, his hot and heavy against her, and his words hoarse and coming out in one quick motion, he murmured against her mouth, “sorry I didn't mean to push you but -”   
Not wanting to hear it, and wanting his mouth back on hers, mission be damned, she pulled his head closer and he happily obliged, pressing his entire body into hers again as he deepened the kiss.

"Hey! What's happening here!"

They sprang apart, but stared at each other, still panting slightly. The sight of a flushed, breathless, swollen lipped Mac, and knowing that it was because of _her_ , was quite possibly one of the _hottest_ things she had _ever_ seen, and she was seriously considering pulling him back against her when Mulbrough cleared his throat and she half heartedly took her hands off of Mac and he reluctantly did the same.

They finally looked away from each other and met the slightly disgusted gaze of Mulbrough, Jeremy standing quietly to his side.   
Mac raised his arms in mock surrender and Riley was glad he was speaking, she didn’t know if she could manage words right now, especially since his voice was still hoarse from being well and thoroughly kissed and the sound alone was causing somersaults in her stomach.  
"I'm sorry, I know we were married almost two years ago, but we're still in our honeymoon phase. Alyssa here is a very passionate person, both in her work, and well, you know,” he said, finishing off his sentence with a wink.

Mulbrough didn't seem quite convinced but she knew it'd be easier to convince Jeremy, and Mac realising the same, directed his words to him.  
"It’s actually, uh, pretty embarrassing to be caught making out like teenagers, but have you _seen_ my wife in this dress? How could I _not_ keep my hands off of her?"

Jeremy must've had some similar scenarios with Nadia in the past because he reluctantly grinned.  
"Yeah, I know the feeling," and turning to Mulbrough said, "c'mon Kenneth, I know it's been a while but surely you can relate to being in that honeymoon phase, sneaking off whenever and wherever you could?"   
The scowl on Mulbrough’s face convinced them that he _couldn't_ actually relate, but a dreamy look came over Jeremy’s face, as if he was recalling his own memories, but he shook his head and said to them, "but I think for now, maybe cut it short."  
She and Mac nodded, not believing their luck that they were getting off this easily and just before he and Mulbrough left the room, he turned and spoke with a smirk.  
"Oh, and you guys might want to take a moment to… cool down, before joining the rest of us," and with a wink, the door closed, leaving her and Mac alone.

Riley could still feel the heat surging through her body but she forced herself to ignore it. She couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed, after all, the kiss wasn't meant to get that… intense.   
Not meeting his eyes, she stood up on her tiptoes and started combing his hair back into place, heat pooling through her again at the simple touch of his hands on her waist to steady her, and she couldn't help her slightly nervous rambling.  
“Your hair is a bit, um... messed up from… when I, well, you know.”

He stood silently as she fixed him up and coming back down, she finally looked at him. He was grinning like crazy and she couldn't help but grin back.   
Shaking his head, as if he couldn't quite believe what had just happened (she understood the feeling), he leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss on her forehead.   
"You're amazing you know."   
She was sure she was blushing again, and his grin only growing, he led her out of the room with a soft hand on her back. 

Her face still felt hot, the butterflies still soaring, and the heat pooling low in her stomach was still as strong as ever, but she forced herself not to react to that as they walked back into the room. Mac, bless his fair skin, was still quite flushed, and that combined with the happiness he was radiating, one could easily guess what they had been up to if they looked at them for long enough.  
Jeremy, who was now next to his wife gave them a wink and Nadia gave them a thumbs up. Riley pressed her face against Mac’s shoulder, not being able to help her embarrassment, and Mac shook his head and huffed out laughter.   
Looking back up, the other couple was laughing and Riley couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness. If it weren’t for the fact that they were on the ‘bad’ side, she could see herself becoming good friends with them. 

Murdoc, who was standing behind everyone else so no one could see his face, seemed genuinely worried when he saw them follow Mulbrough and Jeremy back into the room. He studied their expressions and body language, presumably to make sure they were okay, but clearly he read something else and his mouth dropped as it clicked and he pointed between the two, his eyes flicking from her to Mac and back again.   
Riley worked hard to keep a straight face.   
If they didn't have to maintain their cover, Riley would've found great amusement in, for once, being the one to cause surprise and astonishment. 

They casually started mingling around again, and based off of everyone's reactions, the only people who knew what had just happened were Mulbrough, Jeremy, Nadia and Murdoc.   
The latter joined up with them again, his eyes gleaming with amusement, but before he could say anything, a mob boss and his sister came to chat with them.  
The sister, Marielle, asked, “how did the two of you meet?”

Riley smiled as she pretended to recall the memory.  
“Murdoc took me to get a few goodies from Levi and his father’s business, and seeing him made it all just fall into place.”  
Mac slid his hand along her back to rest on her hip, pulling her slightly closer against him.   
Her heart glowed at his touch.   
Sure he had done it before to maintain their cover, but now that their relationship had changed, she could feel the warmth and sincerity behind his actions and it just felt genuine, not just for show.   
She loved it. 

A grin grew on Murdoc's face, one which gave her a feeling that she wasn't really going to like what he was about to say.  
“Because of that, Marielle, I really have to credit _myself_ for this successful, and what will surely be a long lasting marriage!"

Riley could tell that Murdoc meant that not only in terms of their cover story, but for their real relationship as well, and she couldn’t help but scoff, not ready to allow him to take credit.  
"You may have been the catalyst for our relationship, but I have no doubt that Levi and I would've gotten together at some point, even without you."   
Mac beamed at her, and honestly, the more she thought about it, the more she knew in her gut that it was the truth. 

Murdoc gave a happy sigh.  
“Aaah to be young and believe in fate."

This time Mac scoffed.   
"No, I think she means that she's a trained assassin and I sell high quality weapons, so we'd have been bound to run into each other at some point, and I'm sure that, whatever the circumstance of our meeting, I would’ve still fallen in love with her."  
 _Wow_. Married Mac was shaping up to be quite the romantic. 

It wasn't too hard for her to think of what a person who loved him would do. She slid an arm around his waist and smiled up at him, loving when he held her tightly against himself.   
“I have no doubt about that as well.”  
He warmly beamed at her and pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head, Riley blocking out the grinning Murdoc from her peripheral. 

Though she could tell he was bursting to comment on the change in their relationship, he kept his mouth shut until around half an hour later when they were in their car and heading back for Phoenix.   
Like a giddy child, Murdoc was sitting alone on the backseat (they just _knew_ he wasn’t going to hurt them), and when he stayed silent, eyes flicking between them with a smile, Riley sighed.  
“Okay, just say it.”

“I am absolutely _overjoyed_ that you and Angus have decided to become an actual couple, after all, it’s what I’ve hoped for for the both of you for quite some time now.”  
She and Mac looked at each other and rolled their eyes, only for him to continue talking.  
“Please don’t think I’m being saracic, in fact, this may be one of the few times that I’m not.”

Riley had to admit that was fair. After his talks with her and Mac, it _did_ actually seem as if he cared and so, surprised she was going to say these words to a deadly assassin who’d tried to kill them all in the past, Riley spoke in a genuine tone.  
“Thanks Murdoc, that actually means a lot.”

He smiled at them both, then asked, “so maybe you both need to actually plan that _trip_ to Yellowknife Canada after all huh?”  
Aaand that moment was officially gone.   
Both she and Mac rolled their eyes, and grinning, Murdoc added, “team macriley for the win!”  
They both turned to silently stare at him, Mac through the rearview mirror, because _what_ did he just say?  
“You know, the name for your relationship!”  
And at their continuing confusion, he shook his head and mumbled, “anyone would think _I’m_ the millennial in this group.”

Not understanding, and not _wanting_ to understand, they rolled their eyes yet again, and for the rest of the ride, a grinning Murdoc kept bringing up aspects of their cover story that they’d have to do now that they were an official couple. And though she sighed and shook her head at his antics, she couldn’t help but not hate Murdoc as much as she really should, and judging by the smile Mac only _just_ kept hidden, he felt the same. 

It was late when they walked into the war room, but everyone was there, Matty smiling at them.  
“We got all the information you sent over Riley, it’s enough to shut the group down and connect them to many unsolved cases. Good job, to the three of you.”

From the corner, Russ asked, “how was everything? Our cameras could only follow you till the outside of the mansion. It looked simply stunning though.”

She and Mac looked at each other, ignoring Murdoc’s grinning face, and looking back at Russ, she answered.  
“It was pretty amazing actually. If I hadn’t known their backgrounds, it would’ve seemed like an ordinary, but very fancy, dinner.”

Russ nodded, but before could ask whatever he had been about to, Murdoc said, “Ms Davis is correct, it was amazing and I can speak on behalf of the three of us that we _greatly_ enjoyed ourselves.”  
Riley obviously knew what he was talking about and _prayed_ he wouldn’t explain further. 

Matty fixed him with a look, but clearly deciding it was best not to ask, she instead said, “I suppose you don’t have any conditions we need to fulfil?”

A huge, beaming smile grew on Murdoc’s face and Riley _immediately_ knew that she was _not_ going to like what he was about to do. Mac also stiffened up next to her.  
“Like last time, I’m _touched_ you asked Matilda, but, in fact, Ms Davis and Angus have given me something _much_ better than you could ever promise.”  
 _Shit._   
If he was going to announce her and Mac’s relationship before they were ready, she didn’t know what she’d do to Murdoc. Before she or Mac could say anything, he addressed the confused looks he was getting.   
“They gave me…” _don't say it, don't say it,_ “... the gift of their love.”  
 _What the fuck?_

Everyone stared in even more complete and utter confusion, but what looked like dawning realisation grew on Bozer’s face.   
Both she and Mac opened their mouths, ready to say _anything_ to try and explain Murdoc’s strange statement but, unfortunately, he got there first.   
“Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you, a real, _official_ , loving couple. Angus and Riley everyone!”

Riley didn’t like guns, but _surely_ a bullet to the leg wouldn’t kill Murdoc, would it?  
It would make her feel _much_ better at any rate. 

There was complete silence in the room, making her skin prickle, then a small but genuine smile grew on Matty’s face, but whatever she was about to say was interrupted by -  
“It's about damn time.”  
She and Mac both turned to Desi in surprise who shrugged at their shock.   
“What? It's been half a year since Mac and I broke up, and I'm not blind, I can see that you two are pretty good together.”

Murdoc grinned with glee and he said, “I’m going to find Eric just to tell him this news.”  
What?   
Why was he constantly bringing up Andrews, and why did Mac scoff everytime he did? 

Shaking his head, Russ mumbled, “since when did the Phoenix become a reality dating show?” But there was no animosity in his voice and Riley supposed that Russ wouldn't be Russ without a bit of complaint.

Looking like he was trying to force himself not to bounce up and down in sheer joy, Bozer asked, “how’d it happen?”

He immediately laughed at the identical _‘really?!’_ looks sent his way by her, Mac and Matty, the latter saying, “I understand you’re ecstatic about this development Bozer, but did you consider that maybe I don’t want to hear about it?”

Bozer enthusiastically nodded and said, “that’s fair, but can you dismiss us so that we can go and we can talk about it?”  
Riley sighed and shook her head at his enthusiasm. Obviously it was great that he fully supported her and Mac’s relationship, but at the same time, it was just too much right now. 

Matty sighed, clearly sensing he wouldn't be able to focus on anything else right now, and opened her mouth to reply when the door opened, revealing the guards  
Murdoc beamed at them both.  
“I have simply _fabulous_ news for you both!”  
 _Oh god._   
She wanted to sink into the ground.   
Even though she knew he was going to, Riley held out a sliver of hope that he wasn’t about to tell the guards what she thought he was.  
Nodding in her and Mac’s direction, Murdoc said, “Agent’s Davis and Macgyver are finally a couple!”

_God_ , Murdoc was _infuriating_.   
The guards quickly hid their surprise and she shook her head. She had to give them credit for putting on a good show of confusion as to why Murdoc was telling them.   
One of them, supposing that the normal thing to do in this situation would be to reply, looked in their direction (but didn’t _actually_ meet her or Mac’s eyes) and said, “um… congrats I guess?” 

Riley mumbled a thanks and Mac did too, but seemed confused about the whole situation.   
Suddenly in a hurry to get him out of there, the guards held Murdoc’s arms and led him to the door.   
He grinned at them all.   
“Till the next time team Phoenix,” and locking his gaze onto her and Mac, added, “invite me to your real wedding!” and with that, he was out.   
Riley reconsidered the gun thing, and decided that shooting him in the leg actually wouldn't be _too_ bad.  
Next to her Mac sighed and shook his head, but when he met her gaze, she could see the hint of a smile he was trying to hide.   
Okay. So maybe all of this wasn't _too_ bad. 

Finally dismissed, Bozer once again proved how great of a friend he was because even though he was _dying_ to know all the details, he agreed to her and Mac’s ask of them having the night alone to talk things over. Just before leaving though, he said, “but I’m coming over tomorrow at 8am sharp to get the full story. Make sure you guys are decent by then!” and grinning to himself, he was off. 

They got into Mac's car and after they left the compound, Riley let out a content sigh, and leaning against the headrest, said, "it's been one hell of a day." 

He smiled at her before turning back to the road, and slipping a hand into hers, he replied, "no one else I'd rather spend it with though."  
She beamed at him, her heart felt full. 

They got home, changed into comfy clothes, and snuggled up on the couch.   
So much had happened today and Riley didn’t know where to start, but Mac got there first. He pulled back slightly so he could look at her face, and she could tell whatever he was about to say was slightly serious, so she made sure to give him her full attention.   
“I know we didn’t actually say it out loud earlier, and I know with us we don’t _have_ to, but I want to make it abundantly clear,” he reached out to hold her hands.  
“You’re one of my best friends and my family too so _obviously_ I love you, but unlike how I feel about everyone else, I’m _in love_ with you as well.”

That was just about the most _beautiful_ thing she’d ever heard, and letting go of his hands to cup his face, her heart soaring at the way his eyes lit up at her touch, she put her face close and said, “I love you too Mac.”  
And unlike the almost feverish kiss in the office, this one was slow and gentle, like they had all the time in the world. It was cheesy to say, but it really did feel like home. 

After a while they pulled apart, and Riley snuggled up against Mac, resting her head against his shoulder, and smiling when he rested his atop hers.  
Curious about it, and deciding she could finally ask and get an actual answer, she said, “hey Mac, what exactly _did_ Murdoc say to you?”

His chuckle vibrated against her and she listened, completely shocked at the ‘game’ Murdoc had played with him, but pulled apart and stared at him, almost losing her mind when he told her how Murdoc and Andrews had had a bet over who he would choose.  
He laughed at her reaction.  
“Yeah that’s pretty much exactly what my reaction had been. Obviously now I find it strange but funny but then,” he shook his head, “I was completely and utterly _shocked_.”

Leaning back against him, Riley realised, “so _that’s_ why Murdoc brought up Andrews a few times today, especially when Desi _herself_ said that she wanted you and me to get together.”

He laughed.  
“Yup, I bet Andrews won’t like that at all.”

He then asked about what Murdoc had said to her and laughed and shook his head at the suggestions of torture and kidnapping. When she was done, he asked, “but the question is, how does Murdoc even _know_ all of this in the first place?”

Riley sighed, and Mac pulled away slightly so he could see her face.  
“You know Murdoc’s two guards?” he nodded, “well it turns out Murdoc overheard as they gossiped about… well about us basically and everything that was happening, and he assured me that, just like he felt me and you would be the perfect couple, the guards thought that too.”  
Mac’s eyes widened and, knowing he’d find this next part funny, she continued.  
"I went down and talked to them -”

Knowing where this was going, he interrupted with amusement in his voice.   
“You didn’t!”

She sighed and nodded.   
“Yup, I went to them and told them that Murdoc was actually listening to all their gossiping, and I didn’t tell them why I was telling them that, but judging by how awkward it got, they figured it out alright.”

Bursting into laughter, Mac said, “ _no wonder_ they refused to meet your eyes, and mine too I guess, and why Murdoc seemed so happy to tell them!”

Riley sighed.  
“It was humiliating.”

Mac laughed again, and pulling her in with a kiss to the side of her head, said, “we’re in this together, if you’re humiliated then I am too. You’re never alone.”

Riley couldn’t help the grin on her face, and leaning forward to kiss him said, “that was pretty cute,” but after kissing him, said, “but if you’re going to keep saying cheesy shit like that, I think it might be a dealbreaker.”

He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head before he replied.   
“Hey. If I can’t be a cheesy, sappy romantic around you Riles, then what’s the point?”

She grinned, snuggling into his chest, and pressing another kiss to the top of her head, he tightened his arms around her.  
They spent a few hours like that, talking, kissing, laughing, but after a while she slowly drifted off, tucked tightly in Mac’s body, the happiest she had been in years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah yeah I know, kissing to keep their cover is SUCH an overused trope, but do you think that I, the person who loves it every.single.time. I read it, cares?  
> OFC not!!


End file.
